ForceBond Fluff
by MissyMaestro
Summary: Reylo fluff inspired by various "what if" headcanons flying around the internet! A collection of unrelated one-shots. Mostly T, a few M chapters.
1. It's Not a Good Time

**Author's Note: If you're looking for a great chapter fic, I highly recommend "Clair de Lune" by boursin**!

"Rey. I hoped to see you today."

The book tumbled from Rey's fingers. It was for the best; she hadn't flipped a page for the last three minutes. Like most nights, the resistance fighter was curled in bed, trying to read, but finding herself daydreaming instead. Where moments ago her mind had been filled with the curve of Ben Solo's face, his strong nose, his thick hair, and more _southern_ features, now her mind was _literally_ filled by him. Her room was clean and white, yet there was was, a black focal point commanding her every attention. Months had passed since their Force bond was forged and though Rey and Ben hadn't seen each other in the physical sense since Craith, they spent hours together, filling their mundane evenings with the other's pseudo-company.

Now Rey realized from his mussed hair that Ben must have been in bed too.

Heat rose in her cheeks, painting them pink. Pushing the mental image of Ben's toned chest and impressive arms away, she cleared her throat and tried to gauge his reaction to her fantasy. "Did I wake you?"

"I'd only just fallen asleep. What are you reading? Something that reminds you of me?" His voice was full of genuine curiosity.

"I wasn't thinking of you," Rey quickly spat. "Don't flatter yourself."

A flicker of a smile ticked at Ben's lips. "Liar."

Panicked, Rey desperately tried to push him out of her mind, _just in case_. It would hardly do for him to know the things she imagined doing to him. He was both her closest confidant and most formidable enemy. Arming him with this strange new attraction was dangerous in more ways than one.

"What are you hiding?" Ben asked playfully. Glancing down, he shook his head at the book cover. "I'm not familiar with that one."

A rush of his curiosity flowed over Rey and she realized he was indeed blissfully unaware of the seductive nature of her thoughts. "It's nothing. Maybe I _was_ thinking of you – I hadn't felt you for a while." She stretched and nestled back into bed. "How was your day?"

"Trying. I'll have Hux's head before long if he continues to irritate me so." Ben yawned and ran a hand through his hair. "How none else lopped it from his irksome shoulders, I haven't a clue. He's not only boldly insubordinate, but-"

He continued speaking on the annoying traits of his general, but Rey wasn't listening. A brief snipit of her fantasy played across her mind against her will and certainly against her better judgment.

 _Ben gazed down at her and she reached up, burying her hands in that thick hair. His nose brushed against hers briefly before his lips parted -_

"Is _that_ why you woke me?" Ben chuckled in surprise.

Rey's stomach dropped. "Good _night_." The bond broke with the abruptness of a thunderclap. It was all she could to do grab a pillow and scream in embarrassment into it.


	2. Calligraphy

The script was elegant and clean, though surprisingly inornate for calligraphy. Each stroke had been painstakingly precise, practiced thrice over and thrice again. The black pens were carefully lined just so in their case beside the paper.

Their owner was asleep, only his onyx hair visible upon a crimson sheet. The girl in the room – well, pseudo present, anyway- smiled as she sensed his serenity. The Force bond had never triggered when they weren't both awake. Rey took the opportunity to learn more about Ben. Nothing had surprised her thus far. Order dictated his possessions' positions. Everything served a practical purpose, save the calligraphy set and what it had been used to write.

She flipped the page over and debated giving the strange pens a try. A soft sigh issued from the sleeper and Rey held her breath. She wondered if her amusement was going to wake Ben. Leaving the fancy script on the sleek black desk, she peeked inside the closet.

Behind the black pants, shirts, robes, and cloaks hung a light garment that immediately drew her attention. Rey gasped as she pushed the other clothes aside. For a reason she couldn't fathom, Ben kept his Jedi robes. When she touched the rough, dusty material, a rush of alien emotion enveloped her Force connection. Suddenly, Rey could see neither Ben's room nor her own.

 _Terror._ All there was was sheer instinctive fright and a strange new place with plain walls and some looming presence. In absolute fear for her life, she reached upward and grasped at the heavy cement structure. The ceiling came down with ease, but it only granted her momentary respite. Dust choked her. Screams and the clatter of settling stones filled her ears. _What's happening?_ Rey wondered wildly, stumbling free from the ruined building. The only thing she knew was that she'd be dead if she didn't move, fight, move, fight.

A figure ran past and she reached out desperately. "Ben?"

"Rey?"

Somewhere behind her, there was something regaining its strength. Malice sparked through the air and electrified her. _Who else is coming for me?_ She ran faster, desperately hoping for someone, _anyone_ but that which chased her. "Help! Please!" Her feet carried her as fast as heat lightning but it didn't matter; something was closing in.

A deep voice called to her and for a moment, relief soothed her. "Rey, what are you doing in my closet?"

The dust faded and commotion quieted. The night air's wild smells returned to the familiar scent of filtered station air.

"Are you all right?" The deep voice calling to her was more urgent now, pulling her out of the trance, away from danger.

Rey stumbled away from the closet, blinking and panting.

Ben's hair stood on end, fresh from the pillow. "What are you looking for? Why are you so frightened?" He held his light saber aloft. It buzzed and blazed with urgency. "Rey?"

Unable to speak, she simply gaped at him and tried to catch her breath.

"Are you in danger? Who's there with you? Are you safe?" Ben demanded to know.

Heart still hammering, Rey sat on her own bed and looked through the Force bond to Ben. "I- I sleepwalked," she recovered. "A dream within a dream, I guess." Whether Ben would detect her lie, she didn't care. The feelings left her shaky.

"You're safe?" After a quick scan of his own room, Ben spotted the tan robes wrinkled on the floor. His face twisted into annoyance, but softened. He thumbed off the saber and sat back on the bed. "You were going through my things? You said you were dreaming."

"No," she quickly interrupted. "I mean, yes. I didn't mean to. Well, I did – but not- I'm sorry," she trailed off lamely. Her hands trembled and she focused on deep breaths. If those emotions – horror, self-preservation, betrayal, rage – were what he felt the night Luke lost him, she could see why Ben landed on the Dark side.

She struggled for words but Ben shook his head. "Don't." His voice was oddly strained. "You're safe. That was nothing more than the events of the past. You're safe and whole, here with me." He touched her hand and the intense rush of the Force grounded her.

The flow of energy from his fingertips on her hand calmed her better than any meditation she could have done on her own. Rey drew a breath and nodded. "I'm – I'm sorry." As her eyes fluttered shut, she let her forehead fall forward and come to rest against Ben's shoulder.

"The terror isn't real. It isn't yours," Ben murmured, gently stroking her hair. "It's all right." After a moment of listening to Rey breathing and feeling her calm return, he grinned and nudged her. "Did you find anything else as exciting as those old robes? I'll have you in my mind, but I prefer to keep my-" now his voice trailed off as his eyes landed on his desk.

"So," Rey sheepishly replied, "you're a calligrapher?" Hoping to quell his embarrassment she sensed rising, she offered a meek smile. "Your R's are lovely. I may have to try writing my name that way. Can you teach me?"

The Force bond snapped shut and Rey nearly tumbled out of bed as Ben disappeared. The fright from Ben's past was very fresh, but instead, Rey focused on the elegant loops and curls and the way Ben had written _Rey Solo_ over and over.


	3. Smuggler Skills

"I'm stuck."

Ben looked up from his dinner and smiled into the void where Rey was suddenly sitting. He was pleased to have her company, even if it felt as though she was in a bad mood. As much as he hated to dwell on it, the loneliness wore on him. Hux was certainly not a friend; the man reserved a ferocious silent loathing for Kylo Ren that stemmed from resentment. The troopers certainly wouldn't tolerate his presence. Well, they _would_ , but only because they feared him.

 _Rey, though._ Ben smiled. Rey understood. Rey wasn't afraid of him, even early on when she should have been.

"You're stuck?" he repeated in amused disbelief.

She groaned and let her head rest against the wall behind her with a soft _thud_. "I can't get out. Even the Force isn't working."

Chuckling, Ben closed his eyes and tried to determine what had his beloved scavenger girl so flummoxed. Rey was sitting with her back to the wall in a dark room, disappointment and defeat oozing from her. "The Force can't do everything," Ben gently reminded her. "I'm sure there's another way. Have you-"

"There's _not,_ " the girl groaned. "I've tried everything. I'm in an old cell in an even older freighter."

Ben frowned. "Did my troopers capture you?"

" _No,_ " Rey snapped. "You think I'd let myself be outwitted by a stormtrooper? Hardly!"

She had been looking for something, adventuring in secret, even from the Resistance, Ben realized. "Does anyone know where you are?" he asked, beginning to grow concerned for her. The look on her face made him wish he'd concealed his worry.

Rey bit her lip. "No. A door swung shut behind me and locked. I heard it click." She allowed herself a sheepish laugh. "And that is how I'll die. Locked myself in a cell in a vessel on a planet _no one_ will ever find." Pushing aside her simmering panic, she mustered a grin for Ben. "At least I'll have company."

"I'd never leave you to die," Ben replied easily. "Don't worry." He closed his eyes and pressed deeper into the Force bond. Then he was in the cell with her. "Do you have a pin in your hair?"

Rey blinked. "A what? No, why?"

Pursing his lips, Ben reached down to his belt and pulled free a pair of hair pins.

"This is hardly the time to critique my _hair_ ," Rey challenged him, smoothing down the frizzy mess the humidity of the planet had brought on. "And why do you have-" she paused and nodded. "I suppose your hair is quite long."

"Not for _that_ ," Ben scoffed. He strode toward the cell door and felt it. Even in the dark, it was familiar. The cool metal lock was like the hundreds he'd helped pick as a child.

 _"Don't tell your mother. She probably knows, but you don't need to advertise it. Every man needs to know how to get out of a jam. If you can't talk or blast your way out of it, you'll need to be able to pick a lock. Pay attention. This one will go quick."_

Muscle memory did its work. Thirty seconds later, a metallic _click_ rang out and signaled his victory. Ben smirked. After all, that was the quintessential last step.

"Ben!" Rey exclaimed, stumbling to her feet. "You did it!" She threw her arms around his neck, elated with her freedom. "Thank you!"

"Of course. It's nothing," Ben replied, tucking his hair pins back onto his belt. He swung the cell door open wide. "What are you looking for, anyway?"

"Nothing," Rey shrugged. She skipped out of the cell, then turned back to him with a coy smile at her lips. "The Supreme Leader of the First Order just used hair pins to pick a cell door. Are these skills you pass down to your ranks? Special training?"

"No," Ben smiled. "I keep these special skills closer to the vest."

"Skills? There's more?" Rey chuckled. "I never took you for one who'd have learned scavenger skills."

"Ah," he replied softly. "Not scavenger, per se."

" _All that Jedi stuff is great, but sometimes there's nothing like getting something done with your hands. A clean blaster shot. That click when the lock releases. Finding the inside panel where the really good stuff is hidden. Smuggler skills, Ben. No Jedi's going to teach you any of this."_

"Right." Rey picked up her pack and shouldered it. "Well, back at it, then. Talk later?"

"Sure. Be safe."

"You, too."

Ben returned to his dinner and allowed himself a brief smile ahead of the pain which would surely come. "Thanks, Dad."


	4. Cheesecake

Nothing grew in Kylo Ren's private garden. Heat lamps didn't help. Neither did the nutrient blend he managed to concoct for the soil. Perhaps it was the filtered oxygen or, Ben knew, the utter lack of sunshine and anything natural. His apartment on the destroyer was spacious and afforded him many luxuries, but some things couldn't be remedied with technology. With a swipe, he dumped the containers and dead plants into a trash bin with a huff.

Cafeteria food was engineered to meet all the dietary needs of a human, but left much to be desired when it came to taste. Where once the thought of the damned salty food would have sent him into a rage, Ben made sure to keep his calm. There was no telling when Rey would appear in his head and he would hate to explain insurmountable rage at a failed garden and the prospect of cafeteria food - food that was good enough for thousands of other men on the ship. Food that he was certain Rey would never complain about, given her upbringing or lack thereof.

Instead, he took a deep breath and steeled himself. He could tolerate bitterly salty meatloaf. He _could._

"Supreme Leader?" a trooper called nervously at his door. "General Hux requests your assistance on a raid in two hours."

"A raid?" Ben repeated, glancing back toward the man in interest. "Where, do you know?"

The trooper hesitated. Kylo Ren was not usually so calm. "A forest moon the general suspects the rebels might be hiding on, Supreme Leader."

"Forest moon," Ben nodded. "Thank you. Tell Hux I'll assist."

That evening, striding back to the ship with somewhat of a spring in his march, Ben was satisfied that he'd have fresh ingredients for the better part of a week. It would have to do until the next mission on-planet. _Thank you,_ he thought in good humor toward the Force. _I was lying. I couldn't manage another day of that god-forsaken mass produced slop._

"Ah, Ren. A bag full!" Hux clapped his hands together as Ren passed him on the ramp. "Wonderfully done, as usual. Confiscated weapons, information, perhaps? Just because the rebels have cleared out doesn't mean this wasn't a successful search."

Displeased at Hux's presence but not annoyed enough to thrust him aside, Ben paused. "Nothing of the sort."

Hux clicked his tongue. "So you've nothing useful in that pack."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Everything I gathered is useful." He opened the bag to show off its contents. Leafy greens, earthy root vegetables, and bright berries and fruits were packed tightly in the bag, nearly bursting out. "Useful for dinner."

"You used this search as a _grocery stop_?" Hux exclaimed.

"Then it sounds like you don't want to come by for dinner?" Ben sneered as he continued on his way.

Hux blinked after him. "Dinner?" he repeated wistfully.

* * *

The aroma that flooded the room when Ben cracked the oven door was enough to make his mouth water. A moan escaped his throat and he actually chuckled at the groan of desire. It sounded as if a woman was before him instead of food.

The pastry was nearly set. Rich chocolate crust, fluffy cheesecake, and a delicious berry sauce mixed into the batter. It was his mother's recipe. A world away a lifetime ago, berry cheesecake had been his birthday treat from his mother each year. The princess was a terrible cook and an even worse singer, but Ben could recall no happier memory than his mom singing an off-key birthday song and setting a cheesecake in front of him. Year in and year out his father would ruffle his hair and comment about how tall he was getting, and then jokingly complain that Leia never baked _him_ anything.

 _"I probably don't want to risk it, though,"_ his father would then smirk. On cue, Leia would punch him in the arm, Han would laugh and kiss her, and that was Ben's birthday tradition.

The memory was bittersweet now, but it was his own fault, he knew. Ben blinked. _Wait._ He consulted a calendar and cocked his head in surprise. "Oh," he exclaimed to no one in particular.

It was his birthday.

As soon as the realization sank in, he narrowed his eyes. After casting an accusatory glance to the cheesecake in the oven, he looked out the window into the vast darkness. His voice was soft and he almost didn't recognize himself.

"Mom?"

Ben enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, but had never baked a cheesecake, especially _this_ cheesecake. The fact that the recipe was fully formed in his head and on his birthday, no less, made him suspicious.

"Mom, are you there?"

Closing his eyes, he reached out for her, seeking through the darkness for her warmth.

"Mom," he called urgently, feeling like an annoying child tugging at his parent's arm as she chatted with a friend. "Mom? You have the Force, too, I know you're using it. Right? Hello? Mom?"

There was nothing.

"It's my birthday," he whispered to the darkness. "I thought this was you."

* * *

Slightly sullen as he sauteed colorful vegetables, Ben absent-mindedly hummed a song and swayed back and forth. He always enjoyed cooking, even when he was frustrated or depressed. Food had a calming effect on him, as he assumed was true with most people.

"You can cook?" Rey's voice came over his shoulder. "I've never seen so much as a crumb in this kitchen. I assumed you didn't use it!"

Ben jumped. "How did you do that?" He turned and wiped his hands on a towel before slinging it over his shoulder. "Were you trying to sneak up on me?"

"No! I just wondered what you were up to." She was perched on a stool, leaning on his counter, her chin resting on her hand. The Force bond seemed to be getting stronger. Now it almost always happened that Rey was in front of him, not in his head. Their conversations felt more concrete since there was a being he could reach out and touch in his room. Of course it wasn't the same as a physical body, but he was better than feeling like he was hallucinating the whole thing. As many times as she'd "visited" his quarters, she knew her way around and made herself comfortable. As often as she was there, it wouldn't have surprised Ben if she began suggesting different ways to arrange the furniture.

"How was your day?" he asked, turning back to the stove.

"Good!" Rey chirped. "You won't _believe_ what Poe said to me."

The conversation came easily. Ben listened in amusement and nodded where appropriate as Rey recanted her tale. She was laughing at the resolution as Ben finished cooking and pulled down plates.

"Are you expecting someone?" Rey asked, suddenly biting her lip awkwardly as she rose. "Sorry! I didn't know – I-"

"No. It's just me. What gives you that impression?"

"Two plates," Rey nodded to his hands. "You must be expecting someone?"

"Ah," Ben nodded. He sheepishly put one back. "Most of the time it seems as if you're truly here. It's just me."

"I already ate, so don't feel bad." Rey smiled.

"I- I'll cook again sometime."

"I hope so," she smirked. "You've got to eat."

"I, of course, but I - for _you_ ," Ben stuttered. A strange heat rose in his cheeks and he glanced down. The cook top was on low. _But - so warm?_ He blinked in surprise as he negotiated the sudden sensation. _Oh, god. I'm blushing,_ he realized in horror. He locked eyes with Rey, whose cocky grin confirmed the redness.

She nodded. "I'd like that a lot. Well, I'll let you enjoy your meal. It looks good. I'm not doing anything, if you're bored later and wanted to hang out." The bond began to fade, but suddenly blasted back open. Rey cocked her head. "I – I don't mean to pry, but something feels different today. I've been trying to figure it out. What is it?"

Ben shook his head. "I don't know. It's been an ordinary day."

"Are you sure? Something about you is – I don't know." She squinted at his face and studied him briefly. "Nothing's happened today? It's exciting, whatever it is, I think." Without asking, Rey probed deeper into his mind.

Smiling at her insistence, Ben gave in. "All right, all right. It's my birthday."

"Your birthday!" Rey exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, good!" As suddenly as the smile lit up her face, it fell away. Frowning, she looked as though her own birthday had been robbed from her. "Oh, Ben. You're alone on your birthday?"

"No," Ben shook his head. "I'm not. I have you."

The response pleased Rey and she beamed once again. "That's right! Well, you have a cake and I obviously didn't know to get you a gift. I'll do that later. But it's not a birthday without a song, then, right?"

"You grew up without parents," Ben replied. "How do you know birthday traditions? Surely that junker never treated you to such frivolous-"

"The resistance," Rey scoffed. "We celebrate birthdays!"

Ben's heart thudded with unbridled longing. "You do?" He could just imagine the camaraderie, gaudy streamers and decorations, the dimming of lights for the candles...

"Yes! With cakes and candles and songs and presents. All of it. Everyone." She chuckled. "There's a birthday party every other week, it seems."

"When is your birthday, do you know?" Ben asked. If Rey enjoyed birthday celebrations so much, he should certainly make a note of hers.

"I don't know. I suppose I should pick one!" Rey cleared her throat. "But today is yours and you need a song."

She took a deep breath and Ben laughed. "No, no, you don't have to," he urged her.

Undeterred, Rey began to sing a birthday song, the same one his mother used to sing and likely taught her.

Torn between wanting to laugh and cry, Ben simply listened and committed the moment to memory. A perfect recreation of his mother's berry cheesecake sat before him and Rey was singing her birthday song. What was more; she was a terrible singer.

Ben smiled. It was almost perfect.


	5. Ocean

Something was wrong.

The Force sent a jolt through Ben that launched him from sleep. "Rey?" he muttered as he rubbed his eyes blinked himself awake. When no answer came, he wondered if the Jedi girl was sleeping, too. He settled back down to bed for less than a second before sitting back up and calling out to her again. Something didn't feel right. Whether he was experiencing her discomfort at a nightmare, Ben wasn't certain, but he knew slumber would never return as long as he wondered.

Pushing further into the bond that joined him with Rey, he was astounded at the sensations he felt through her. _A_ _million daggers at his skin, icy water consumed and paralyzed him. Briny water filled his lungs, stung his eyes. The bitter taste, on top of everything else, was nearly gag-inducing. Panic punctuated with bursts of exhaustion and determination sent him clawing for the surface, something solid, the ocean floor – anything._

Now the panic was Ben's own as he saw her. Rey was drowning. _She's never swam before. She's only recently just seen a body of water!_ There was no reason she would have willingly gone to the water. His heart thudding violently in his ears, Ben called out to her.

"Rey! Kick your legs! Kick!"

Secondary relief – Rey's – calmed his hammering pulse, but only somewhat. She heard him. _Good_. Rey paddled frantically, her panic swelling, even as Ben tried desperately to calm her. Light glimmered at the surface not fifteen feet above.

"Find the light! Kick toward it!" Ben urged her. "It's not far. You can make it."

A stream of bubbles burst from Rey's mouth as she cried out and gasped for breath.

"Kick, Rey!" Ben roared. He could still taste the salt water choking her. An imminent sense of danger rushed over him. _I cannot live without her if she dies,_ Ben thought plainly. By now it was difficult to discern whose feelings were whose. The Force had determined they should function as one being: thinking each other's thoughts, seeing their activities, and never truly alone, for the other lived in their mind.

A meek voice whispered his name. Rey's consciousness flickered.

"No, no, no," Ben growled. He closed his eyes and tried to take control of her body, but it remained her own. He could only observe and communicate. " _Kick! Reach!_ "

Rey's hair fanned out about her in an eerily beautiful way as she floated. The loose ends of her clothing wraps splayed out, too, making her look like a strange aquatic angel. The morbid beauty failed to capture Ben. She blinked once and he felt her accept her fate. _One last look,_ she thought, gazing at him through the Force. And then she was gone; not a thought or emotion radiating from her. The bond closed abruptly.

Ben cried out in agony. The helplessness startled him. The Force could do a many good things, but the fact that it showed him a dying Rey but left no options to save her was dumbfounding.

"Rey!" he screamed, his voice resounding through his bedroom. His own rage and fear filled the void left by Rey's presence. Frustration sent a scream from his lips.

 _"_ Don't do this!" Ben swore at Rey, the Force, himself. "Rey! _Rey!_ "

He heard a trooper pause and call in a question in the hallway, likely as a result of his screaming, but he didn't care. Panting, Ben closed his eyes and focused his energy on her. He reached out to her, picturing her face, conjuring her voice, recalling her scent. _Wake up. You aren't going to leave me. I need you. Wake up. Wake up. Rey!_

A sudden swell, then release of energy burst forth from him. Ben gasped in effort and surprise. The rush made him lightheaded enough that he collapsed back onto the bed.

" _Ben?"_

She was back.

"Kick!" Ben screamed in elation and urgency. "You can do it. Swim for the surface, Rey!" He tried again to reach out and pull her to safety, to swim _for_ her, but couldn't. "Damn it," he snarled. "You're so close. Don't give up." He gritted his teeth hard enough that his jaw joint popped. It wasn't until a tear fell from his jaw that he noticed how badly his eyes were watering.

Rey clumsily clawed her way through the water, fear replaced by fierce hope.

"Yes, yes, Rey, you're so close," Ben breathed. "Come on. Come _on."_ He held his breath as she flailed and finally broke through the surface. His own lungs felt the burst of fresh air as Rey emerged and gulped for oxygen.

"Ben!" Rey gasped and sputtered.

"Shh," Ben cooed her. "Don't talk. Breathe. Keep kicking." He looked around and saw a familiar sight; the cliffs of Ahch-Tu. "Swim for the rocks. Kick and reach."

When Rey was at last safe and resting on the beach, Ben relaxed. As much as he wanted to ask what had happened and why she'd risked her life near the water, he simply studied her face and considered himself lucky to have her still. Heartache or something like it settled in his chest as he watched Rey's chest heave. Had he been there with her, how easily he could have scooped her from the sea, _how easily_ he could have saved her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'm sorry I'm not with you."

"You were," Rey muttered softly. "I saw you. You took my arm and saved me." She rolled onto her side and reached out to him. "Thank you."

Perplexed, he shook his head and gave her his fingertips. _Sure,_ he thought in ire as she eagerly grabbed his hand, _now I can touch her._ "No, you saved yourself. I watched you."

"I saw _you_ ," Rey insisted. "I blacked out, then you were there." She squeezed his fingers tightly. "I'd have died without you. Ben, you pulled me out of the water." She blinked. "You don't believe me? Here, I'll _show_ you."

And there it was. She projected her own memories into his head. He watched himself secure the girl under his arm and easily reach the surface, his long legs slicing through the water and propelling them upward quickly.

"But I-" he breathed in disbelief.

"It was the Force, I guess." A smile played at Rey's lips. "I guess nothing can separate us, even a guarantee of death."

Ben nodded, thankful that the Force worked in mysterious ways.


	6. Elephant Love Medley

**Author's Note: NOT A REAL UPDATE. Who's seen Moulin Rouge? I heard the Elephant Love Medley in the shower and KNEW IT HAD TO BE A CHAPTER. If you haven't seen the movie, feel free to pass on this one… I'll leave this trash here. Actual update coming soon.**

Rey had been speaking with resistance pilot Poe Dameron in the new resistance base but she stumbled over her words when Ben pushed into her mind.

"You all right?" Poe asked, reaching out and touching her forearm.

"Yes, yeah, fine," Rey nodded. She made eye contact with Ben that said _Give me a minute._

The pilot grinned. "So maybe after I get back from my mission tomorrow, I take you out to dinner? This planet don't look like much, but the food is fantastic! You've got to try it." Charm oozed from his handsome smile and suave tone.

Rey smiled and felt a wave of disappointment from Ben. "Sure, that'd be nice," she told Poe before excusing herself to her chambers. "Ben?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"Silly me," Ben muttered, "to think that you would fall in love with someone like me."

Rey's eyes fluttered violently. Surprise washed over and through her. "I can't fall in love with _anyone_. We're in the middle of a war." She offered him a sad smile. "You think I'm in love with Poe? No. We're only eating a meal together. That's what friends do."

Ben pursed his lips and exhaled loudly through his nose.

"We'll talk tomorrow, yeah?" Rey replied, too tired to navigate the treacherous conversation. "Good night, Ben." The Force bond began to fade as she turned her attention elsewhere.

"Rey," Ben called, reaching out to her. His fingertips brushed her arm. "A life without love? It's _terrible_." He shook his head. "This bond we have, it must mean something. I've _seen_ you join me. That's not for nothing."

She pursed her lips. "Please don't start that again."

"That's all we really need, each other."

Rey crossed her arms and cut him off. "Ben. I've told you this! The only way of loving me is to join the light." She began to close the bond again.

"Just one night," Ben called after her. "Give me just one night."

If anything, his determination was endearing. Again, Rey paused and remained in the bond. "There's no way if you won't come to the light!"

"In the name of the Force, one night in the name of _the Force_." Ben's desperation had cracked and now he was smiling like a madman. It was freeing for him to finally be voicing his desire and Rey felt the wild elation.

"You're crazy," Rey she giggled. "I won't give in to you. Good _night._ "

"Don't leave me this way," Ben called once again, pushing the bond open as she struggled to close it. His face was vivid in her mind. "I can't survive without you. Don't leave me this way."

Rey leaned on her chin and smiled. "Ben Solo, you're the last one I'd have expected to wax poetic. This is war. There's no time for love stories."

"That isn't so," Ben replied. "You're thinking like a Jedi. Some of the best love stories come from war. What's wrong with that?"

"Everything! _"_ Rey's mind briefly flickered to Snoke's throne room. How many times had she left her enemy alive, only for him to invade her waking and dreaming mind? "Love makes us act like we are _fools."_

"Then I am a fool," Ben conceded. "One night. Please."

 _"_ You're asking me to throw my life away for a single day?" Rey shook her head. "You're mad. The First Order, the Resistance, they'll find out. We'll be hanged as traitors."

"Traitors? No!" He brushed his hair back from his face. "Look at it this way: we could both be _heroes_ , just for one day."

Exasperated, Rey threw her hands up and instead tried to think of reasons to dissuade him. "No! You – you'll be mean."

"No, I wont!" Ben chuckled. "Not to you."

"And I- I'll drink all the time."

Ben stood, completely unaffected by her weak arguments. "We should be lovers. You've come to be before, risking everything. You can do it again!"

Rey shook her head violently. "We can't do that!"

"We should be lovers and that's a _fact_."

He felt her wavering, Rey gritted her teeth and pushed the affection out. "Nothing will keep us together," she argued.

Ben finally caught her eye contact and held it. "We could steal time, just for one day. Who's to stop us? You see everything there is to see about me, and I, you."

"Just for one day," Rey whispered.

"We could be heroes forever, Rey." Ben reached out and touched her face. "Join me."

"We could be heroes," she finally agreed.

"Rey, who are you talking to?" a voice came from her door.

Rey gasped and spun away from him and the bond closed abruptly. Sighing, Ben lowered his head. He would have to try again later.


	7. Ours

It seemed Ben never slept through the night anymore. Rey often forgot that space was vast and contained a multitude of time zones; sleeping and waking hours didn't always overlap. For that reason, when Ben wanted to reach Rey, he gently probed into her mind to determine whether she was awake before pushing the bond further. Rey, on the other hand, had no problem bursting in loudly and excitedly, singing or calling out to him whether he was with General Hux, in the shower, or fast asleep. It was never unpleasant to wake up to her; Ben simply willed himself to acquire a taste for black coffee each morning.

Tonight was no different. Something yanked him from sleep and Ben startled awake as he crashed onto damp, cold ground.

"Rey," Ben growled in mild annoyance. His voice echoed and he deduced that he was in a cavern. He stood and squinted into the void. "I'm here. Are you safe? Do you need me?"

Besides his own echoing voice, it was silent. Ahead, a faint red glow illuminated a small room off the wide opening he stood in.

Ben strode forward cautiously. "Rey?"

A familiar hum caught his attention as he neared the cave and the red light shone brighter. Only a light saber could cast such a glow. _But red? Rey's new saber isn't red._ Drawn in like a moth to the flame, Ben found it difficult to pause outside the room. Something locked onto him and dug its claws into his curiosity. Intuition told him to beware. He touched his waistband, but realized his own light saber was setting on the table beside his bed. An inconvenience, but Ben wasn't bothered. If he could stop blaster shots, he could certainly dodge and use the Force on whoever wielded this saber, should it be anyone other than Rey.

Taking a deep breath, Ben turned the corner. A feminine silhouette stood dead center in the cave, her back to him. When he saw the cross vents and familiar hue of his own light saber, he smiled.

"Rey," he breathed in relief. "What are you doing here?"

The silhouette turned. A woman gazed in his direction, not at all disturbed by Ben's presence. Her chestnut hair was swept back into a lopsided bun. Wispy ringlets framed her long face in an attractively messy way. Ben _knew_ her, but he didn't know how. Something dangerous buzzed in the air. Whoever this woman was had _his_ light saber, which only Rey could have acquired through their bond. A knot tied itself in his gut. _She's dangerous._

"Where's Rey?" Ben demanded, lifting his hand, prepared to use the Force.

Unbothered, the woman glared past him.

 _A vision,_ Ben realized, ashamed of how long it took him to realize it. Visions usually only happened when he and Rey were in the same physical location. Closing his eyes, he tried and failed to sense her. Perhaps this vision was his own. To be certain, Ben cast out a hand and reached for the saber. It remained locked in the woman's hand and she gave no indication that she felt the tug. Instead, she lowered the saber and growled in a commanding voice, "You're late."

A man perhaps a year or two short of fifty meekly approached the woman and dropped to his knees. "Princess. Please forgive my tardiness. My ship-"

"Princess?" the woman scoffed, her voice soft and low. "It's been some time since I've been called _princess_."

"I – what, are," the man stuttered, "are you no longer using the title? How shall I address you?" His eyes were fixed on the cave floor.

The woman swung the saber in a casual arc, obviously comfortable with the weapon. "Call me what you will. I trust your attendance here means I can count on your loyalty as we move forward."

The man on his knees spoke. "Princess, I've long heard stories of your beauty. Thank you for seeing me. I'm blessed to cast my eyes upon you. Of course, of course, yes. Anything for the daughter of-"

"I'm well aware who my parents are," the princess interrupted sourly. She took a deep breath and sighed in aggravation. Patience didn't seem to be a virtue she held dear. Her dark eyes flashed. "I'll not be treated like some prized offspring of an endangered species. There's no need to recite my pedigree."

The man bowed deeper. "Of course not, Princess. And I pledge you my undying loyalty. To _you._ I mean to-"

Suddenly the woman narrowed her eyes. "No, you don't."

"No?" The man's voice trembled, but he quickly tried to disguise it with a chuckle. "But princess, I-"

"You mean to betray me, sell me to the highest bidder." Her lip twitched upward. "And right now that's Armitage Hux."

 _Hux._ Ben wondered what Hux wanted with this woman and why ragged old men were begging for him. It hardly seemed like a First Order mission.

" _No,_ " the man cried out. "Perhaps I dreamed about what I'd do with the reward money, but-"

The woman thrust her hand forward, the fingers curling as if grasping some invisible thing. Pulled by her power, the man levitated upward into thin air. He clutched wildly at his throat and began to choke.

"I've lived my whole life fending off disgusting creatures like you," the princess snarled. "You all seek me for the same reason, but none are wise enough to realize that very reason makes me unobtainable."

The man gurgled and writhed midair.

"I'm no Jedi, I'm no Sith. I'm _more!"_ With a cry and jab of her hand, the man suspended in the air cried out and landed in a heap with a sickening crunch.

Captivated, Ben watched the woman, pleased to see how much she looked like Rey and harnessed the Force with ease. The realization came slowly but surely and wasn't surprising in the least to him. The woman before him was his daughter.

Goosebumps rose along Ben's arms as something passed through him. He immediately recognized Poe Dameron as he jogged into the cave. Thirty years, perhaps, had grayed his hair and whiskers, but had not dulled his charm.

"Easy, Solo," Poe called. "It's me. Put that thing away. I've never liked that saber."

The princess spun to face him. "Commander?" She switched off her weapon. The glow faded away and primitive lantern light filled the space instead. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mother said something was wrong. I came as fast as I could." Poe studied the body crumpled at her feet. "Looks like you've got things covered." A grin broke his worry. "Atta girl."

"A traitor," she exclaimed defensively. "He intended to take me prisoner." She kicked the body. "I thought this would end now that the galaxy knows what I'm capable of. I'm no child to be ransomed. How long will I live with bounty hunters after me?"

Poe sighed and reached out to her.

Ben couldn't help but bristle as she took the pilot's arm. He moved out of the way so they didn't walk through him again and snarled aloud at Poe as he draped an arm over his daughter's shoulders.

"Don't worry," the pilot cooed. "Things will calm down. They did for your parents. Give it time."

 _"Ben!"_

Like that, the vision disappeared and Ben was once again in his own bed. The Force bond was blazing. Rey, also in bed, was sitting up and staring at him, wide eyed.

"I saw her, too," he greeted her.

"How are you so calm?" Rey asked. Sweat glistened at her forehead and temples. "I feel like this is sort of a big deal. Aren't you surprised in the least?"

"No," he replied genuinely. "I've seen your future. So have you. You know we'll come together. I'll apparently make myself a new saber, seeing as how our daughter had mine." He smiled. _Our daughter._ The phrase warmed him more than anything had in some time. "I'm only surprised that Hux lives and your pilot is a commander."

"Kill him," Rey commanded savagely. Hatred seeped from her. "Your general is sending agents after our daughter! Find him in his bed and kill him _immediately._ "

Ben shook his head. "Rey-"

Her face broke into disgust. "No? You're her _father!_ She seems quite strong but just because she's grown doesn't mean we don't need to do what we can to-"

"But she isn't grown." A smile crept onto Ben's face. "She's just a vision, for now. We have no one to keep safe but ourselves. I'll be a good father, when the time comes. I have no reason to kill Hux. Yet," he added. "I'm sure an opportunity will present itself in time."

Rey pursed her lips. "I guess that's right."

"What was her name?" Ben asked.

"I- I don't know," Rey confessed. She reached out and touched Ben's arm softly. "I suppose we'll think of something? Everything in its own time." Reaching out and nestling against him for the first time, she sighed happily. "This means you'll join the light. I knew it."

"Light, dark," Ben sarcastically listed. "None of it matters. You'll join me."

Quiet for a moment, Rey considered. "I guess there's no disputing that now."

"Good." Ben pulled her closer against him, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and settled back to sleep with the scavenger girl in his arms at last. Well, almost. 


	8. Throne Room

Ben switched off the light saber and pushed the dead Praetorian guard away from him. His sight never left her, even now. Death and ruin littered Supreme Leader Snoke's throne room, but she was there, looking back at him. The severity of what he'd done weighed heavy on him briefly before elation wiped it away. Had they truly moved as a single unit, flowing as if her arms were his and their consciousnesses were one? Had she really grabbed his thigh as they battled together? Had she truly summoned his own saber from his belt and fought for their lives with it? It was too much to imagine could have happened and it was exactly what he'd hoped for.

"Rey," Ben breathed, his eyes locked on hers. Depths of emotion hung on the single syllable.

The look on her face as all he needed. Crossing the room in four long strides, he crashed into her and she him. Rey desperately pressed against him as he crushed her to his chest. Feeling her against him, solid and real, affected him more than he cared to admit. Overwhelmed, he panted a shaky exhale and pressed his face into her hair.

"Ben," Rey whispered, tilting her face upward toward his.

Without so much as a thought, Ben kissed the girl.

It was silence and rushing loudness all at once, terrified elation, freezing heat, bright blackness, and chaotic stillness. All the wrong and sorrow dissipated from memory and there was only _right_. Past abandonment and betrayal didn't matter. She risked the resistance for him. She risked her life for him. She fought for him and _saved_ him. Tasting the sweat on her lips made him love her even more.

Rey settled further into his embrace with a soft _hmm_. Her fingers wound through his hair, slowly grasping it tightly and ensuring he couldn't pull away from her.

It hit with the force and piercing heat of a bowcaster shot. Ben's lips tugged into a smile as he realized nothing truly mattered, not the First Order, not the Jedi, not Snoke or Hux – but Rey.

"I feel the same way," Rey mumbled into his mouth, "about you."

"How did you-?" Ben breathed between her kisses.

Rey pulled away, breathless, and smiled in a way that made his heart fall temporarily out of rhythm. "I can feel it."

A true smile broke across his face for the first time in ages. Ben rested his chin on the top of her head, unwilling to release or be released by her. For the first time, even though it was for a fleeting moment, Rey felt the conflict leave Kylo Ren entirely and instead there was only Ben Solo.

"The fleet, the fleet!" Rey suddenly cried, jarred by a sudden though of General Organa and her friends in the resistance.

Loath to see the moment pass, Ben pressed his forehead against hers. "I can give the order that they stop firing, but you have to be by my side." His heart thudded faster. "Please."

Rey's feet carried her backward before she even realized what he said. "Don't go this way, Ben."

"Rey," Ben repeated. "Say you'll rule alongside me." He extended his hand.

A pang of fear, loathing, and regret shot through her and Ben felt it like a saber to the heart. "No," he breathed. Heartache washed over him, even with Rey mere feet from him, within arm's distance. Her expression had soured as had her feelings toward him, all in a moment.

Her arm flung out as she summoned her saber from him. Uncaring about the weapon but desperate to keep her near, he reached for it, knowing that if she was victorious, he may never see her again, except for battle.

But that would be better than never seeing her again.


	9. Armitage Hux, Third Wheel Extraordinaire

The troopers before Kylo Ren were the weakest, the stupidest, the least loyal. He _detested_ them. Even their presence filled him with ire. Though they'd completed reconditioning, Ren didn't sense anything about them had changed whatsoever. Several swayed nervously, ruining their uniformity and disciplined image. The only thing the supreme leader could think of was the traitor FN-2187. How many more of his sort were standing before him, now?

"Listen up, you pathetic-" Ren snarled. He paused and looked to the woman standing beside him, his expression changing drastically and immediately. "Not you, Rey."

She laughed brightly and touched his forearm. "Of course not me," she scoffed. "Continue."

The loathing returned to Ren's face as he glared down at the rows of faulty Storm Troopers. "General Hux convinced me, _vowed_ that you will be different, that you will perform as expected and be loyal to the First Order alone. Disappoint me and you won't receive a second chance. The fact that you're standing here now is completely thanks to your general's pleading that I spare your lives. Remember that. Dismissed."

The redheaded general, of a similar age with Kylo Ren, strode forward as the troopers filed out. "Thank you for those, ah, _motivating_ words." He glanced at Rey, who was looking on interestedly. "Might I have a word in private, Ren?"

"No," Rey answered casually. "I'll be staying. Continue with what you were going to say."

"This is a matter only privy to the Supreme Leader," Hux snapped at her as she continued to look on with an easy smile.

"She said she isn't going," Ren snarled, his voice dangerously soft. It was something Rey had suggested on her first hour on his – _their –_ ship.

" _The shouting only makes you seem out of control,"_ Rey had chided him. _"Your men will listen if you control your temper. You rule with fear but you_ could _win their allegiance."_

If Rey wanted him to be calmer, Ben would be calmer. Managing his temper was not easy, he found. Ben craved a shouting match, but settled for hard workouts at the end of the day to release his energy.

Hux crossed his arms and stared incredulously at Rey. "Ren, I'll not take orders from this girl, this garbage picker."

A flash of anger blocked his judgment and Ren raised his hand, feeling the Force project forward and catch at the general's throat. "This girl," Kylo growled as Hux choked, "is my equal in every way. You'll show her some semblance of respect and I suggest you veil your contempt better with her than you do with me."

"Enough," Rey said, touching his arm and pushing it down.

Ben considered her, then nodded. Shame washed over him briefly. _Having Rey on board is going to change everything,_ he thought in semi-relief, semi-reluctance.

Hux stumbled backward, trying his best to regain his breath and balance with dignity. "As I was saying, there's been an issue with Captain Ranfa's performance and I suggest action be taken immediately."

* * *

Rey's first few days with the First Order were filled by meetings, introductions, tours, lessons, and exploring. Ben had been by her side giving the order that she was to be obeyed and feared as he was. The words stuck with the troopers. Rey had full reign of the ship. General Hux found that she used that freedom to her advantage when he turned a corner and crashed into her early one morning.

He took in the sight of her, already frightened at having done so. Her silver gown, long-sleeved with a plunging neckline, shimmered in the red light. She wore it well. "Supreme Leader," he greeted her after a moment's pause.

Rey nodded curtly. "General."

"You're out and about quite early. Is there something I can assist you with?"

"No," she shrugged. "Only exploring."

"Of course," Hux nodded. Where Rey wandered, Ren couldn't be far behind. He cleared his throat. "You'll be pleased to know your recruits are progressing through training well." His discomfort was palpable. A slight flush rose in his cheeks and he reminded himself to stare not at Rey. He directed his attention to the wall panel behind her instead. "I trust you are acclimating to the First Order well?"

"I am." Rey shifted her weight. "And I trust we'll have no further problems, right, Hux?" She offered a kind smile as he nodded. "What's your full name, General?"

"Armitage Hux, Supreme Leader."

"Armitage?" Rey repeated, struggling to keep her face neutral. "I think Hux rolls off the tongue a bit better, if you don't mind? Or just 'General.'"

"As you wish, Supreme Leader."

Rey brushed a wisp of hair back from her face. "Rey, just Rey, when there are none of the troops around."

Pulling a grimace, Hux shook his head. "I have explicit orders from Supreme Leader Ren to refer to you as Supreme Leader." He stole a glance down the hallway. They were still alone.

"Well now you have explicit orders from me to call me Rey." She smirked. "I see you're in a tough position now, aren't you?"

He snapped to attention, prompted by something behind her. "Supreme Leader Ren."

Ignoring him completely, Ben beamed at Rey as he strode down the hall toward her. "I'm glad you like the wardrobe I sent for. I wasn't certain of your tastes, because I doubt you've ever been able to give fashion a thought." He admired her. "In this or your dusty boots, you're beautiful to me."

"I love them all," Rey cooed, spinning about to model the current selection. "I only worry if something comes up, I'll be unable to fight in this." She turned about and thrust out her hand, then mimed fighting with a staff.

Ben scowled at Hux as he watched her. The general promptly lowered his gaze back to the floor.

"What is there to learn today?" Rey asked eagerly.

"There's plenty to do. More introductions, perhaps saber training. First, a meeting with Hux's top advisers." Ben nodded and offered his arm. "Shall we?" When Rey looped her arm through his and pulled him forward, he cast a look over his shoulder. "Aren't you coming, General?"

Hux nodded and couldn't help recall his days at academy when he occasionally served as a third wheel. The power was apparently intimidating to female suitors and he'd spent much time alone. The feelings now rushed back with striking speed. And he doubted they'd fade any time soon. "Yes, Supreme Leader. Of course."

* * *

He'd been summoned. Eleven sharp in the conference room.

But it was five after and Hux's heart hammered into his throat. By now he knew that Kylo Ren _loathed_ tardiness, but he also hated being interrupted. Rey, on the other hand, actively worked to soften Ren, but Hux couldn't trust that she'd save him, especially in this situation.

Both Supreme Leader Ren and Supreme Leader Rey were disheveled and panting, taking turns wrestling the other up against the conference room walls. Though he wasn't loath to take in too much of the scene, Hux couldn't help but watch in wonder as Rey slammed Kylo Ren into the wall with a _thud_. The impact made the supreme leader grunt in surprise. Hux held his breath, wondering if he was about to see Ren finally act out and show some sort of malice toward the girl. Instead, Ren murmured something into her ear that made her laugh before kissing the scar on his cheek. And then the struggle began again as Ren scooped the girl into his arms, spun about, pressed her against the wall and kissed her deeply.

 _Praise the stars they're still both dressed,_ Hux mused, yet the awkwardness remained.

His communicator vibrated a notification that the parties awaiting in the throne room were getting impatient and asking after the pair. Drawing in a shaky breath, Hux entered the room and cleared his throat, his muscles tensing in anticipation of an attack. "S-Supreme Leaders? We're quite late to a-" A gentle pressure cut him off and drove him backward. He groaned as his feet slid against his will and the rulers didn't miss a beat. The softness of the sensation led him to believe this was Rey's doing, but Ren usually had such an immediate reaction to his presence that Hux couldn't be sure who was removing him from the room. "The Bespinian Queen is not a patient woman!" he called out in protest. "Her allegiance is vital to the cause we are trying to build!"

Rey pulled away, breathless. "General. You go ahead, then. We'll be right along." Ben smirked and set her down, refusing to tear his gaze from her face.

"I- what shall I tell Her Majesty?" Hux replied. "Sending a general to meet a queen will be seen as a slight. I strongly advise that you both-"

But Rey was already completely enveloped back in Ben's hungry kiss.

"Yes, Supreme Leaders," Hux sighed in exasperation. "I shall stall them for as long as I'm able, but-" Another Force push sent him sliding out the door and snapped it shut in his face.

"Come _on!"_ Hux snarled.

A pair of troopers passed by and gave him quizzical head tilts.

He ran a hand through his hair and straightened his jacket before snarling aloud and stomping his foot. "One of them was bad, but two of them _is worse!"  
_

* * *

Months had passed since Supreme Leader Rey first came on board. Working conditions has both improved _and_ worsened drastically. The physical damage costs had dropped to what would be expected of a ship as Kylo Ren's outburts stopped. Troopers no longer fled as frequently as they had in previous years, and injuries all had obvious explanations that were _not_ related to the Force.

General Hux began to worry that _he_ would have a violent fit. The tardiness, the lax attitude toward work, the sloppiness that had overcome Kylo Ren enraged the general. It was all Supreme Leader Rey's fault. She had cast some spell of the man and tamed him nearly entirely. At first the notion thrilled Hux, but now it sickened him. Allies needed to fear the First Order, not coo at the love-struck leaders.

When Hux turned the corner with Captain Phasma and a group of dignitaries, he couldn't even bring himself to feign surprise. There they were _again_ , the supreme leaders of the galaxy pressed against the corridor wall sighing and touching, horrid wet sounds coming from their frantic kisses.

"And may I present Supreme Leaders Ren and Rey?" he tiredly announced.

Startled, Ben pulled away and straightened. "General. You're early." He combed back his hair and cast him an annoyed glance.

"Quite late, actually." Hux gave a look to Rey that pleaded for calm. "My apologies, Supreme Leaders." And so he imagined the rest of Ren and Rey's reign, sighing and hoping their affections turned to hatred or something _productive_ for the First Order.


	10. No Privacy

**Author's Note: A reminder that these are all unrelated and non-linear!**

A scream shrill enough to be heard across the galaxy split through time and space and made Ben's ears ring.

"Stop screaming, it's just me," he quickly exclaimed, putting his hands up defensively. Casually, he turned a full one eighty to the wall behind him and studied it. "How was your day?"

The scream squeaked to silence. Dripping wet and frozen in horror, a completely naked Rey was fresh from the shower, her clothes a few feet in one direction and her towel in the other. " _Are you -I'm- can't you see this is a bad time?!"_

The steam dampened Ben's hair and it drooped against his forehead. "It's not like I planned this. Get dressed. I'm not looking." Patience and kindness marked his tone, a sharp contrast to Rey's ire. Internally, though, he was screaming, too. Rey was usually fixing something or talking to someone, working out or reading in bed. Seeing her naked had been perhaps the last thing he actually expected. Of course Ben occasionally worried whether the Force would rudely connect them at a sensitive time. He had his answer, and at Rey's expense. Her strong legs, taut stomach, tantalizing collarbone… Ben cleared his throat and conjured an image of General Hux to cleanse his mind. _That's better._

Huffing, Rey lunged for her towel. "I- I'm not in the mood for conversation right now. Go away!"

"Don't be upset," Ben chuckled. "This was bound to happen." Without moving his head, he stole a glance over his shoulder. A long arm was struggling through a tunic in his periphery. "I'm sure you'll catch me in a compromising situation at some point."

" _Don't look!"_ Rey shrieked, reaching for a bottle of shampoo and hurling it toward him. It sailed through his projection and hit the wall. The lid burst off, sending a spew of pink gel into the air. " _Ugh!"_

The bathroom faded away and Ben stared once again out the window of his ship. "How unsettling," he murmured to himself, guarding his thoughts from the image of Rey's breathtaking body in case she returned. Any sense of privacy he knew fell away. Wiping a smidge of shampoo from his tunic, he turned and went about his day.

* * *

Rey was prepared.

From the moment she got out of bed to when she got back in it, she acted as though the Force was about to thrust her into the spotlight.

She dressed quickly, but gracefully and, to the best of her knowledge of the art of seduction, sexily. One long arm reached gracefully through her tunic, then the other. Her hips swiveled back and forth as she pulled on her leggings, and she bent provocatively while reaching for her boots. When fully dressed, she glanced in the mirror. After the fact, the reverse strip-tease felt ridiculous, but in the moment it made her feel in control, and that was worth something. With the possibility of Ben showing up at any time through their Force bond, Rey decided to own everything she did. Embarrassment couldn't touch her if she was always expecting an audience.

A chill ran down her body as she remembered lumbering clumsily out of the shower only to have Ben appear. It only took a split second for him to avert his gaze, but she could still see the slight arch of his eyebrow and way his lips parted. Truly, he'd been an utter gentleman. It only added to the strange frustrating eroticism of the situation.

Rey wasn't ashamed of her body or the fact that Ben had seen it. It was strong and beautiful. She could free climb up the side of an old star destroyer and outrun most anyone. When faced with the most powerful Force user in the galaxy, Rey adapted to his fighting style and nearly struck him down. Yes, her body was a marvel worthy of adoration. Ben's reaction only confirmed that further.

She couldn't bring herself to be mad at Ben. No, Rey was mad at the _Force_. Of all of the moments in her day – training with her saber, training new recruits, enhancing the Falcon, going for a jog – the Force chose to show her in a vulnerable situation. No weapon, no position of power, no way to display her strength and spirit. _As if baring my soul weren't enough, now I've bared everything._

Sighing, Rey sat back and brushed hair away from her face. No, she had nothing left to hide from Ben Solo. Relief settled over her. _Your turn, Ben._

Karma was delivered sooner than expected.

That night Rey twirled and trained with her staff, practicing for who knew what battle awaited. She brought the staff down toward a training dummy, but instead it landed with a _thud_ on a red mattress that appeared from thin air – and just inches from the bed occupant's head.

Ben jumped from sleep, swearing and summoning his saber. It ignited immediately as it touched his fingers, but Rey snickered at the sight.

Shirtless and with eyes as wild as his hair, Ben blinked several times. "Rey?" he exclaimed in confused anger. "What are you doing?" His voice was a hoarse rasp. The red glow of his saber disappeared and he let it clatter back onto his nightstand. Sheet marks joined the long scar on his cheek. He hastily wiped at wetness at the corner of his mouth before getting back into bed.

"Training," Rey replied with a smile, trying not to look at the dark spot of drool on the pillowcase or the way certain locks of his hair stood on end, jutting out at strange angles. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Mmm," Ben mumbled. His eyes squeezed shut, he pressed a pillow to his face and groaned. "I wish you hadn't come. I'll never get back to sleep. It took _hours,_ " he moaned with what Rey judged as desperation. Crying out in frustration, he threw the pillow across the room. It landed with an unsatisfying _puff._ He collapsed against the mattress and pressed his face into it. " _Fuck!"_

Unafraid, Rey perched on the side of the bed, uncertain how he'd react to the closeness. "Bad day?"

Ben gingerly turned his head and squinted up at her. "Have you ever had a migraine, Rey?" He voice was suddenly calm and soft, the outburst over and done.

"No," she shrugged, noting the sweat glistening on his face and neck. "Are you having one now?" She resisted the urge to reach out and brush the hair back from his forehead.

"Yes," he whispered, bringing his hands to his shield his eyes from the faint light. "Nothing works. Nothing helps. I don't have _time_ to wait it out. Tomorrow's important." He winced. "Sound hurts. Light. Movement. Thinking. Everything hurts. I feel sick."

"That sounds terrible," Rey whispered, hoping her words didn't aggravate him further. "I'm sorry." As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see that he truly was in agony. Her delight at catching him asleep dissipated completely. She suddenly felt foolish for fretting about Ben seeing her in the shower. Considering the state he was in, the Force had been kind to her.

Squinting at Rey, Ben exhaled slowly and purposefully. A strange look of pleading passed his face. "Help me," he begged. "Use the Force. Please. _Please._ You have to, Rey. I'd do it for you. Use it on me. _Please._ "

Certain that her seeing him so helpless would bother him later, Rey decided to treat him with the decency he'd shown her in her moment of embarrassment. "I- I'll try," she whispered. "Hold on."

* * *

Ben felt Rey appear and surprise radiated off of her, but pretended not to notice. He continued rinsing the shampoo from his hair, shaking his head to clear stray suds from his eyes. Hot water trickled down his chest and he swallowed, deciding how to handle the encounter. What was he supposed to say as the silence dragged on and he felt her eyes on his back? Plus, he'd caught her in the shower. It was only fair that he not chastise her for the same. At last, he cleared his throat and turned to face her. "Payback, is it?"

"I'm, I'm," Rey stumbled, wide eyed and unblinking. "No? No! This is _not_ payback. I didn't know- I- No," she finished, finally dropping her eyes to the floor and bringing a hand to shield her face. "You look better than last night. I'm glad."

Ben switched off the shower and squeezed excess water from his hair. The blush in Rey's cheeks brought a smirk to his lips. "Thank you, by the way, for that. It's unfair I can't use the Force on myself. I'll have to keep you around to get rid of the headaches, hmm?"

"I suppose so," Rey muttered. "You're welcome." She moved to look up at him, but stopped herself. "So what- erm, what's that important thing you had to do today? You mentioned last night?"

Puddles formed under his feet as Ben stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. "Are you really going to stand here and carry on a conversation?" he mused as he towel-dried his hair. "I guess I tried the same with you. Makes things less awkward, I suppose."

"Doesn't it, though?" Rey laughed, looking up and immediately squeaking. "Ben! Are you really going to stand there naked? You've had more than enough time to put that on, good _lord._ "

"You don't have to look if you don't want to," Ben replied easily. Then his lips pulled into a broad grin and he cast a wolfish look in her direction. "Thank you."

"For what?" Rey snapped. When Ben chuckled, she exclaimed, "Are you _laughing? You? Laughing?_ " and looked up in surprise. Again, she cried out upon seeing him naked and finally spun about, hands plastered over her eyes. " _Ben!"_

Nodding, Ben wrapped the towel around his waist. "I'll remind you I wasn't expecting company. Sorry to have offended you, but I should think otherwise. There. I'm _decent._ "

Distrust pouring from every ounce of her body, Rey remained facing the door. "What are you laughing at?"

"I see what you're thinking, remember? I'm flattered."

With an indignant shriek, Rey lunged at the counter, blindly grabbed a bottle of hair product and launched it at him. This time the bottle exploded on contact. Purple liquid erupted everywhere, splattering them both. Ben merely stepped back into the shower, still simpering even as Rey struggled to close their connection.

"I wouldn't object if you did," Ben called after her as she faded back into her own realm. _What a morning,_ he thought, utterly shocked by the sheer raunchiness of Rey's thoughts. Her final desire rang in his mind for the rest of the day: _I should just rip that towel away and join him._


	11. Battlefield

Silence spread across the battlefield. Blood-streaked rebels and troopers with dented armor paused and lowered their weapons.

Cloak torn but otherwise uninjured, a tall man clad in all black loomed alone in a clearing, watching a rebel approach. His infamous red light saber sizzled at his side; it was the same shade of crimson that stained the rebel's robes under her arm. It gave unease to the supreme leader, but she seemed not to be affected if she was wounded. Completely somber, she raised her staff. With only a few feet between them, she paused.

"I don't want to fight you," the man spoke softly.

Incredulous, the rebel sneered. "You say that _now_ after all this death?" She gestured to the field around them; the bodies smoldering in the desert planet's sand.

He shrugged in response. "I don't care about them. Any of them." The simplicity of the statement struck the woman, he saw, and he felt it as well. It felt good to admit. He studied the woman. "Are you hurt?"

She pursed her lips and shook her head, fighting against the tears at her eyes. Her grip on her weapon tightened.

"Rey," he spoke again. "Are you going to kill me?" Before she could answer, he turned off his saber and dropped to his knees. A murmur exploded among the formerly silent ranks.

"Look at this!" A rebel roared. "The mighty Kylo Ren on his knees!" His companions joined in on the cruel laughter that followed. As the heckling swirled around them, Rey cringed and looked about, but Ben Solo kept his gaze on her face, entirely unaffected.

"Get up," Rey hissed.

"No," Ben replied. He offered her his saber, but she stepped back. "I won't hurt you, Rey. I can't."

"Ben?" Rey studied Ben's face for a sign of trickery. There was none.

"You'll have to accept that or you'll have to kill me." Stretching his arm outward and giving the saber a little jiggle, he suppressed a smile. "Take it. You own everything else that was mine."

"Ben, get up," Rey urged him once more. She bent and snatched his sleeve. When she moved to pull him upright, he suddenly gave a soft exhale and threw his arms around her waist, burying his face against her robes. She moved to stumble backward from him but Ben held her fast to the spot. "Rey," he whispered in a hoarse voice.

The volume on the battlefield rose substantially. Laughter, jeering, cheering all mixed together in a discordant chorus of chaos. Suddenly a loud voice boomed over the roar and a red haired general strode forward. "Someone _kill_ them already!" General Hux marched toward the pair, raising a blaster. The resentment he carried for so long burned on his face. He pulled the trigger triumphantly.

Rey felt several Force disruptions at once. Ben burst upward and thrust out his hand, freezing the blast just feet from impact.

"There you have it!" Hux screamed, his voice carrying over the cries of war and clash of weapons on flesh. "Kylo Ren protects the rebels! He has served them from the start! Kill him! Traitor! Kill them all!"

Instinctively, Ben and Rey spun back to back as they'd done in Snoke's throne room.

"I love you," Ben commented easily over his shoulder. "Forgive me."

"L-Later," Rey sputtered. "Let's just get out of here alive first!"

Ben deflected several blasts and turned over his shoulder once more. "You know, but I needed you to hear it from my lips."

Over the zings of blaster shots and the grunts of the injured, the general was calling for Kylo's head.

"Pat attention!" Rey begged. "You'll get yourself killed if you keep talking. We'll revisit this later!"

"You love me," Ben continued, kicking a trooper in the chest and thrusting his saber through the helmet. "I can feel it. Tell me I'm not wrong, Rey. Tell me. Say it. Please."

A trooper charged her and Rey parried his blow, knocking into Ben as she did. He spun and delivered a Force blast past her that dropped a dozen nearby fighters. The crush of battle closed in around them. A Rebel fought his way to Rey, then desperately clawed at her wrist before catching it and her attention. "Rey, come _on!"_

 _"Finn,"_ she replied, relieved to see him unhurt. She thrust her hand out and blew several storm troopers back twenty feet, allowing her a moment.

Ben turned. "The traitor," he commented in bemusement. "I'm glad you're alive."

"Welcome to the Resistance," Finn replied uneasily, taking a step back. He tugged at Rey's wrist. "Come _on!_ We need to get out of here. _"_

" _Traitor!"_ Hux's voice came roaring over the chaos of battle. His copper hair shone in the sunlight as he pushed his way toward his former Supreme Leader. "Ren! I'll kill you!" Raising his blaster, he squeezed the trigger, a wild delight gleaming in his eyes.

For Rey and Ben, the bright red flare traveled in slow motion. Finn moved to push Rey out of the way, shielding her body with his. Somewhere someone screamed. Momentum and gravity pulled Rey downward. All the while, the blaster fire closed in on Finn, mere inches separating him from death now.

It never hit. Ben cried out and threw his hands forward, his fingers curled into grotesque claws in effort. A mighty blast burst through not only the blaster shot, but the general and dozens of troopers surrounding him. The shockwave visibly blew through their armor and crumpled their metal weapons into knots of tin.

Hux fell dead and Rey breathed a sigh of relief and rested her forehead against the ground, halfway expecting battle to cease.

It didn't. A barrage of blaster fire immediately trained on Ben. Rey stood and braced herself to deflect it, but Ben simultaneously forced her to the ground and released another blast of energy, strong enough to leave sparks behind it. He dropped his hands, panting in effort. Exhaustion had drained him and he couldn't muster the Force strength to block any more of the incoming shots. Rey pushed her Force shield out as far as she could and stumbled to her feet, but couldn't concentrate well enough to hold it. An agonized scream exploded from her lips as blaster fire dropped Ben. He groaned and took a knee for the second time that day. A trooper's electrostaff hit her in the back and she crumpled as well.

Finn took care of the trooper and knelt beside her. "Rey, Rey, let's go," he panted, tugging at her as she crawled toward Ben, who had now slumped to his side. "Come _on!"_

 _"_ No!" Rey screamed. When a pulse of Force energy burst forth from her and knocked him backward, Finn stumbled away, hurt and confusion on his face.

Ben was breathing slowly and deeply, almost as if he were sleeping. The expression on his face was one of near serenity, but the facade didn't fool Rey. There was terror and regret painted all over his face if you only looked hard enough.

"Ben! Ben," she breathed, lunging for him and desperately stroking his face. "Ben?"

"You were right," Ben panted as smoke and the smell of burnt skin rose from his bloody chest. Pieces of tattered cloth had been cauterized to his flesh, making for a stomach-churning sight. "I was always going to be the one to turn." He chuckled and winced. "You'll rule the First Order now." Taking her hand, he mustered a smile. "No dark, no light. Make things better." His words broke off into an agonizing groan.

"Stop it," Rey hushed him. "You can't die." She brushed the hair back from his forehead and desperately tried not to look at his wounds. "You're more powerful than anyone in the galaxy. A few hits from a blaster can't take you out. You can't die." This time, it was more of an order than encouragement.

Ben coughed. Blood trickled over his lips. Still, he gazed into her eyes and managed a sad smile. "I can, Rey. I'm just a man."

"Ben," Rey cried out as his head lulled to the side suddenly and he exhaled raggedly. "Ben? Ben?" She shook his shoulder, but to no avail. "Ben! I love you," she whispered desperately as she curled up next to him, cradling his head. "I love you, I do, and you knew. I love you."

* * *

Chewie groaned in a way that embodied a dozen emotions as he scooped Ben's limp body into his arms once the battle had been won, mostly thanks to Rey's seemingly impossible Force feats, performed in her anguish and rage.

Now she nodded numbly to her copilot. "I know." The Wookie made a quizzical sound and Rey scoffed, swatting a tear from her cheek. "I don't _care_ what the rest of them say. Everyone saw. He turned. He's ours again." She touched Ben's hair as Chewie hoisted the tall man higher into his grasp. "Be careful," she urged him.

A hand on her shoulder drew her attention. "Even after everything Ben has done, Uncle Chewie wouldn't hurt him," a sad voice came. Rey turned to find General Organa watching Chewie in wonder. Leia smiled sadly. "They were the best of friends when Ben was a boy." Then she moved to touch Rey's face gently, tilting her face upward. "Why do you look so sad? We _won._ My son came back."

"At what cost?" Rey pursed her lips and didn't dare think of the lives that were snuffed out. She watched Ben's head lull sickly back and forth with each step the Wookie took away from her. A sob rose in her throat and she struggled to suppress it.

"He's alive, Rey. I _know_ you can feel that." Leia turned to look after Chewie and her son, then back to Rey. "Finn, Poe, your friends, none of them have a scratch. The Force was on our side today."

"I know," she replied, sniffling. After Rey caught her breath, she grasped Leia's hands. "I wanted him to turn so badly, but I thought he had died and it would have been all my fault. I've been alone for my entire life. I don't know how to handle this burden, these feelings." The words ran into each other and came faster and faster. " I longed for my parents but I never truly expected to see them again, never thought I'd _have_ someone worth dying for. And now I do and and he almost did for me and I don't know that I can-"

"Rey," Leia chuckled. "There's no making Ben do anything he didn't want to. Risking his life for something he loves is so very him. That's the Solo in him," she smiled.

Suddenly Chewie turned and called for Rey. Her heart thudded out of time for a moment, then she called, "I'm coming!" and sprinted to him, eyes wide and fearful.

" _Rey,"_ a soft voice came.

Chewie knelt and let Ben rest in his lap. Face streaked with blood but otherwise gaunt and pale, he looked to Rey. "Rey. I take it back."

"What?" Her chest ached in suspense and in fear that he realized he would live and regretted his confession of love.

He took a breath, winced, then solemnly said, "I un-name you as my First Order successor. It's a terrible burden. You're not ready."

Rey blinked in disbelief. "You called me here instead of going to the medical tent so that you could make a joke."

"No," Ben rasped. "I'm serious. You need me. You could never handle it on your own. Let me teach you."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable. Leia was right. I thought you were dying, and now you're here being so, so," she struggled for a word, "so _Solo._ "

Chewie snorted his agreement.

"Fine." Ben reached out and rested his hand on her arm. "I needed to see you. You never said it back, Rey." As depleted as his Force strength was, Rey felt him creep into her mind.

Rey blushed, then cleared her throat. "I can see your ribs. You need to get to the medical droids now. Chewie, hurry."

The Wookie stood and rushed Ben back to camp, leaving Rey standing with a small smile on her lips.


	12. Practice

Rey slept soundly at last.

Wide awake, Ben watched her contentedly. The swell of her pregnant belly kept her from cuddling into his arms the way she loved to do, but it was something too minor to dare complain about. Merely having someone to reach out and touch at night was a remedy to years of loneliness. Stretching out and punching up the pillow under his head, Ben got comfortable and exhaled happily. No, he couldn't dare complain. Not when something so incredible was happening.

Their marriage had been celebrated and their crowning followed shortly thereafter. The titles were really just a formality; they served no apparent purpose as everyone knew exactly who they were. But how Rey had turned heads in her gown, scrounged up from who knows where. Ben turned and looked at her face, marked her messy hair, and smiled. Life was certainly blessed now that they were together. Well, quasi-together, anyway. Business had taken him on a short mission, but their bond had only grown exponentially stronger the more time they spent in the other's physical presence. Though he was a star system away, he could see Rey sleeping as clearly as if he was in their bed with her.

Yet all of the gratitude in the galaxy failed to ease the sickness that plagued Rey every day or the guilt Ben felt because of it. It was his child making her double over retching each morning and causing the dark circles under her bright eyes. Still cheery as ever, Rey scoffed at Ben's insistence that she rest or eat instead of twirling her saber or staff about, ever wanting to stay in fighting shape.

But now she finally slumbered.

Unable to resist, Ben reached out and caressed her arm. Gods how he loved her from the moment years ago when he searched her mind for the map to Luke Skywalker only to find her barging into his own mind, carelessly rifling through his deepest feelings. She was unapologetically _Rey_ and he couldn't live without her.

The child growing in Rey was heralded as a long-expected fulfillment of some prophecy about the Force, but Ben largely ignored the religious zealots who had appeared from nowhere upon news of the child. No Jedi, no Sith. His child would take part in none of the old ways. They would forge their own path, taking the best from both the dark and the light. Even now with months to go before the birth, Ben was mildly anxious about the child's future. The Skywalker line continues, he thought wearily to himself. _That mighty Skywalker blood,_ Snoke once taunted him. No, Ben steeled himself. _My child is half Rey. They'll be smarter than to be seduced by users like Snoke._

He touched Rey's stomach and closed his eyes. The Force stirrings shining from light-years away were innocent, bright, and hungry. Or was that Rey? It was a little hard to tell, as the child was obviously half of her. The part he didn't recognize, he imagined, were the pieces of himself.

 _Hmmm,_ Rey sighed, reaching out and letting her hand rest on his side. The touch sparked a vision that ignited in his mind and played out like a clear projection _._

 _Rey was leaning against a doorway, smiling and peering into a room where her husband was tossing small padded balls at a girl of five. A red one came within catching distance for her, but it froze midair as she flickered her dark eyes to it. Two more, a green and a white came in quick succession, but they, too halted and hovered in the air, suspended by the Force._

 _"You have a meeting with the officers to get to, don't you?" Rey chided, sorry to break up the scene._

 _Unconcerned and too thrilled with his daughter's lesson, Ben beamed. "She didn't miss a single one, Rey." With a wave of his hand, the balls returned to a container on the floor._

 _"Don't work her too hard."_

 _Ben scoffed. "Too hard? Not a chance. You're having fun, aren't you, Princess?"_

 _"I don't want to stop," the girl sang out, wrinkling her nose in effort. Suddenly the balls began to levitate upward out of the basket. "Daddy says next I'll be able to practice with heavier things. I'll be able to move_ you _when I'm bigger and stronger_. _" She squinted her eyes and thrust out a hand toward Rey._

 _"Well I'm sure he's right," Rey agreed, ignoring the way the front of her tunic pulled as if by a tiny invisible hand. "Ben, the meeting. The officers won't want to be kept waiting again."_

 _"Who are they going to complain to?" He cocked an eyebrow but backed down when Rey raised her own. "I'm going, I'm going." He ruffled his daughter's dark hair. "Keep practicing. I want you to be able to move your mother by the time I come home."_

 _The girl squealed in delight and focused her energies on Rey once more, who merely laughed and gave Ben a look that promised him payback later that evening._

The vision faded out and Ben sighed, already missing the child that hadn't been born yet. The flash forward had done something he once thought impossible: made him love Rey more.

 **Author's Note: Who did you interpret as having turned? Were they with the First Order or the Resistance? I can't decide.**


	13. That Time

General Hux was feigning rapt attentiveness as Kylo Ren laid out the First Order's next moves. His unrelenting eye contact irked the Supreme Leader, but he could hardly call him out for it. Instead, Kylo pushed through his marching orders at an accelerated pace just to be free of the ginger's loathsome presence and piercing gaze.

"Supreme Leader," a general interjected. "Might we try to test the new recruits in this mission? It would be a good baptism by fire, as they put it."

Kylo nodded. "If you see that the-" Suddenly he paused mid-sentence, doubling over with a grunt. Taking a moment, he inhaled and cleared his throat. _What was that?_

The generals wore matching looks of concern, except for Hux, who was clearly trying not to roll his eyes.

"It's nothing," Kylo muttered before starting in again. He'd only answered the general's question partway again when he froze. A stabbing sensation exploded in his lower abdomen. It made his stomach churn as the pain turned to a fierce tightness that radiated through his hips and lower back.

"Supreme Leader," Hux cooed, rising. "You look quite unwell. Shall I call for a medical droid?" He paused. When Kylo simply cringed and gritted his teeth, Hux nodded. "I can handle the meeting from here. Please, someone call for a doctor for the Supreme Leader."

* * *

Thrashing this way and that in his bed, Bed groaned and gritted his teeth. He was fine, according to the medical droids, but he certainly was not. Something was perilously wrong. _Probably poisoned by Hux,_ he thought humorlessly. Perhaps in an hour or so he'd call a doctor back and have another scan run. His ailment would be detectable by then. Another wave of nausea rolled as the pain burned through him. It was times like these he felt most alone.

 _But I'm not_ , he remembered in relief.

Moments later, Rey paused her scavenging climb as she felt Ben initiate their connection. She perched on the ledge of some ancient ship and listened patiently as her Force counterpart started in on a nervous spiel.

"I'm- I'm worried," Ben grunted through the next pangs. "It hurts. No symptoms but this pain." Sweat rolled down his neck and soaked the bedsheets beneath him. "It's making me want to throw up. I can barely walk. The scans are all clear but _something is wrong._ " He peered through the Bond at her. "Can you see it? Through the Force? Is anything different with me?"

Rey nodded sympathetically as the words tumbled over her. A hint of amusement flashed in her eyes, but Ben was certain that couldn't have been what he saw.

"When did it start?" she asked.

"I don't – nine? Nine thirty?"

That cruel look returned to her face. She cackled.

"Why are you laughing?" Ben snarled, wishing he'd opted to suffer in solitude and silence. "Something's wrong with me!"

Mustering her best Kylo Ren impression, she replied, "Don't be afraid. I feel it too."

Ben shook his head in frustration. "What?" Another gut-twisting spasm made him groan into his pillow.

Rey touched her pelvis. "That's _me_ you're feeling. Menstrual cramps."

Glaring up at her, Ben considered the notion. "I can't stand. You're out scaling wreckage. It can't be." Another stabbing sensation sent him writhing.

"There," Rey exclaimed. "I felt it. Left side. Sharp."

 _Impossible._ Embarrassed, he nodded. "Yeah. Left side. Sharp." He was panting, but Rey had only winced slightly. _Impossible!_

"Yeah, sorry. Cramps are the worst." She bit her lip to keep from smirking. "I don't know why you'd be feeling them. You- you don't even have the parts that are hurting!"

"I _know._ " He buried his face in his pillow and moaned in pain.

The smile broke through and she covered it with her hand. "Sorry! You've just got to ride it out," she tittered. "Ooh, that one was a bit tight," Rey muttered as a cramp tugged at her insides. "Ben? Are you going to be all right?"

Ben felt her gaze and decided to take the pity. If this was her pain, she'd know a remedy. " _Argh!_ Help me. Make it stop. There has to be something. Anything. _Please._ "

"Take a hot bath," Rey suggested. Then she hesitated and thought for a moment. "But it might only work if I do it, since you're just feeling my muscles."

"Do something," Ben begged. "Please, Rey."

Offering him a look of deep pity, she shrugged. "I'll try to handle it soon. Hang in there."

Ben groaned as the Force bond faded. After all they'd been through, nothing could change his mind that Rey was a hard woman, but this only solidified that belief. _Women are indestructible._

* * *

The hot water wasn't doing a thing to calm the throbbing, stabbing pain torturing his entire midsection. Now uncomfortably hot _and_ in pain, Ben couldn't pinpoint why he felt so out of control. Meditating and grounding his Force energy hadn't helped. Everything felt magnified and as such, when Hux rapped on his door feigning concern, Ben roared at him and swore to have his head if he returned.

"Rey!" he called out in utter desperation as the pain marched on. "Rey!" His deep voice cracked.

Exhausted after a long day, Rey appeared through the Force bond with a tired smile. "Feeling better?" She couldn't even muster surprise at seeing his bare chest aboe the bathwater.

"No," he groaned. Ben knew he looked a pitiful mess, but after hours of intermittent nausea and debilitating pain, he didn't care. Rey had seen him in worse situations and he was sure there would be more humiliation to come. Besides, she understood what he was feeling. Perhaps she thought his reaction was overkill, but he didn't feel a tad bit dramatic. "How do you survive like this?" he asked in wonder.

"Years of practice," Rey replied. "I have bad news, too. There's not a bath for miles and miles. I'm just going to try and sleep it off."

Ben looked through the Force at her in disdain. "You have to do _something._ I'm- I'm dying."

"Tough it out, _Supreme Leader,_ " Rey taunted. A particularly angry cramp made them both wrinkle their noses.

"I can't," Ben moaned. "My back. My legs. Please, Rey." He drew his knees up to his chest, leaving half of the tub empty. "Please. You know you need it, too."

The begging and sheer need in his voice and mind broke her down. Rey passed into Ben's realm and reached for the edge of the tub, testing whether her hand would past through it or not. It was solid and the water inside was hot and wet. She thanked the Force for the substantial amount of bubbles, which smelled like leaves or maybe mint, that concealed Ben's body beneath the water.

"This is weird," she commented.

"Everything about this is weird," Ben scoffed. "My _uterus hurts._ Get in. You can take those off if you want. I won't look." He tipped his head backward to study the ceiling, his long neck resting on the tub ledge. "I promise."

Sighing, Rey hastily slipped out of her clothes and into the steaming water, taking care to do so as modestly as possible. "What's even weirder is that I'm _really_ just sitting naked in my bed right now."

Ben cleared his throat and continued to stare at the ceiling. "In the Falcon? Where's Chewie?"

"Not home," Rey replied with a laugh. "Okay. You can look."

Ben slowly lowered his gaze, keeping it locked on her eyes. "How long?"

"The heat of the water isn't directly correlated to the speed of recovery," she scoffed. "Though that would explain why we're cooking ourselves."

* * *

As the heat slowly began to calm Rey's convulsing innards, Ben nearly fell asleep, blissfully appreciative of the long-awaited relief. "Do me a favor and don't share this next month." He opened an eye and offered a lopsided smile. "Why does the Force want me to join your suffering?"

Rey focused on her big toe as it traced tiny circles at the surface of the water. "Why does the Force do anything?"

Ben's posture had relaxed as well. His long legs rested alongside Rey's, and as he slipped further into the water, they brushed together. Rey didn't seem to notice or care, but Ben jolted upright, sloshing water onto the floor.

"Kripes, Ben, what are you doing?" Rey recovered, hastily covering her breasts with her arm as the suds splashed away from her.

"Sorry," Ben exclaimed, righting himself and deliberately looking away again. "I- sorry."

"Honestly," Rey scolded him. "I've looked inside your mind and you can't even handle our legs touching?"

"Yeah, yeah, no," Ben sputtered, suddenly realizing how hot the bath was. Or maybe he was blushing. _"Sorry."_

Turning her head and listening, her eyes narrowed in concentration, then widened in realization. "I've gotta go. Chewie's home." Before Ben could turn away, she had leapt from the bath and disappeared from the bond.

He stared at the wet footprints on his floor and touched his stomach, which was still tender, but much better. Just like that, Ben realized he was in love with the scavenger girl for all she was and all the ways she showed him that she cared as well.


	14. Dejarik

When Rey peeked over her blanket fort she'd hastily constructed in a panic, she was relieved to see Ben gazing at her through the Force Bond with a look of bewilderment on his long face. "Are you hiding from someone? Are you in danger?"

"I don't know. When will it stop?" she whined.

Craning an ear toward the window and hearing nothing but the pounding pouring rain, he shrugged. "I don't know what you mean."

A crack of thunder sent her ducking back into her blankets. "Make it stop!" Rey squeaked.

Her horror was endearing. "It's a thunderstorm." Ben sat beside her on the cot and tugged the blanket away, smiling when her frizzy hair emerged. "You're safe inside." He scanned his surroundings and felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. _The Falcon._ "This piece of junk ship might not be good for anything but it can at least outlast a storm," he added moodily.

Outside the window of the Millennium Falcon, lightning jagged a forked path down to a nearby tree. A second later, a violent whip of thunder split the air and elicited a squeak from Rey and sent her clawing for Ben. Her arms were wound so tightly around his right arm that it actually hurt him. _A pleasant distraction,_ Ben thought thankfully.

"Why is it so loud?" Rey whispered, her teeth chattering. "How much longer? Can you stay? Please, please stay." Her brown eyes watered as she glanced up at him.

Ben leaned against the wall and got as comfortable as he could manage with the woman clinging to him so fiercely. "Who knows. An hour, maybe more. It never stormed on Jakku, did it?" He trained his gaze on her, trying to ignore his surroundings. "And in the forest outside my base – was that the first you saw snow?" When Rey nodded, Ben had _another_ reason to regret fighting her in the forests on Starkiller Base. Would she always relate snow with him swinging a light saber at him?

"What – what else is there?" Rey shuddered. "We had dust storms and heat waves, solar flares. I didn't know there could be anything worse." She glanced out the window but quickly shied away in favor of the safety of the ship.

"Sure," Ben shrugged. "Earthquakes, tornadoes, floods," he ticked off.

Rey's anxiety immediately dialed up to panic and he mentally kicked himself for the answer.

"None of those things happen here, though," Ben lied. "Wherever you are, the atmosphere and landscape on this planet don't look right for those things. Just storms." He cleared his throat, certain that she could see through the lie. "Do you know how to play Dejarik?"

* * *

After an hour, Rey had emerged from her blanket cocoon, barely flinching at the thunder that continued on. The duo was hunched over the Falcon's Dejarik table, locked in a game in which neither player could advance without their opponent quickly making up ground.

"You honestly don't want to do that," Ben warned as Rey began to make a bold move. "Try again."

Frowning, she shook her head. "I already went. That's cheating to take it back." The holographic monster had indeed already lumbered onto its next space and swayed on it.

"You're learning," Ben offered, motioning to the board. "Really. Make a different move."

"I can't!"

"Sure you can," Ben laughed. "Uncle Chewie used to let me-" he trailed off. The rush of happy childhood memories from this very place was bittersweet. He could no longer push it away. When he looked around, Ben was both surprised and not at all shocked to see that Rey had scarcely changed a detail of the Falcon. The familiarity- no, intimacy – made him feel ill.  
 _  
"C'mon Ben, punch it!" Han urged him from the copilot seat._

 _His shaky breath was the only reply. The Falcon had been his nursery, playpen, and home since he was born. Ben looked at the glittering gold dice hanging in the cockpit and they gave him a little hope, but not enough. He was a Solo, sure, but he wasn't Han Solo. And he certainly wasn't the famous pilot of the Millennium Falcon._

 _"What if I crash us?" the boy worried._

 _Han laughed. "With your flying genes and the Force, there's no chance you could crash even if you tried." Han continued to lounge casually. "So maybe you're thirteen, kid, but you're already a better pilot than most of the guys I know. If things get hairy, I'm right here, but you don't need me." He reached over and clapped his son on the shoulder. "You've got it."_

 _Ben grinned and nodded as he prepped the Falcon for his first hyperspace jump._

 _"But remember the most important thing-" Han started with a cock-eyed grin._

 _"Don't tell Mom," Ben finished, wearing a matching Solo smirk._

"You're going to fork me. There are three ways you can do it, too, and I'd be completely powerless against it," Rey was saying.

Ben blinked, trying to mentally rewind the words. "What?"

"I figured it out. That's why it was a bad move." Rey chewed at her lip, nonkerfuffled when thunder cracked hard enough to make the Falcon tremble. "Almost every move you have is to fork me."

Running a hand through his hair, Ben nodded. "Oh. Right."

Finally, Rey looked up. "What's wrong?" A moment later she nodded. "Yeah, I bet it's strange for you to be here."

"It's nothing," Ben replied. He moved a piece on the board and ended the match. "Good game. You're a fast learner." He stood, eager to be out of the Falcon. Everything about the old freighter – the smell, the old panels, the faded purple stain on the floor where he once dropped an entire vat of wintenberry jelly and let Chewie take the fall when Han came in raging about how everything would be sticky forever– pulled at Ben and broke pieces of him down. "I have to go," he said harshly as the walls pressed in on him and made his head spin.

Rey looked up at him in dismay. "You're leaving? Can't you stay for one more game? Please? What if it gets worse outside?" Outside the window, the storm had slowed but hadn't stopped entirely. She regarded the lightning flashes warily.

"Where's Chewie?" Ben snapped. "I'm not your babysitter."

The Force bond snapped shut behind him as he stormed back into his private quarters and collapsed on the couch, his head in his hands and tears already dotting the black tile floor beneath him.

" _Dad,_ " he whispered in despair. The pain broke loose and threatened to tear him apart.

Flashes of memories raced through his mind in a nonsensical pattern.

* * *

 _"You have to learn to control this thing, Ben," Han said sternly, pointing a finger in his face._

 _Tears were running down young Ben's face. "I didn't_ _mean_ _to," he squeaked through the tears. "It just happened."_

 _"I know," Han sighed. "I know it isn't your fault. That's why you need to harness it." He wrapped an arm around Ben and gave him a squeeze. "I'm not mad at you. I just don't understand it, okay? I know you can get this thing under control, though. It'll just take a little bit of work and things like this won't happen anymore. Yeah?" He grinned that crooked grin and Ben immediately felt better._

 _Wiping tears away, he sniffled. "Yeah, Dad."_

* * *

 _His parents were arguing in the next room over. As hard as his mother urged Han to concede to sending Ben to Uncle Luke, his father argued harder to keep him home._

 _"You don't know anything about the Force," Leia snapped. "You've made fun of it more than you've cared to pay attention. I'm making this call. Luke is the only one who can handle him."_

 _"Yeah, maybe," Han agreed. "But sending Ben away isn't the answer. He's a smart kid. He'll figure it out himself. Give him a chance."_

 _"He's too dangerous without a teacher, Han. You saw what happened. He'll kill someone next time. Maybe it'll be you."_

 _"Kriff, Leia! He's not a monster!"_

 _"He could be."_

* * *

 _"It might be the last birthday you have if you're really going to eat that," Han nudged Ben as Leia placed a berry cheesecake before him._

 _"Shut up, you space jockey," Leia replied with a laugh. "If I can cook one thing, it's my son's favorite birthday dessert."_

 _Ben grinned and blushed as his mom sang the birthday song of Alderaan in a horrible singing voice.  
_

* * *

 _There wasn't a scratch on the Falcon, but it was home much, much later than agreed upon. Ben strolled back into the hangar as casually as possible, but Han appeared around a corner and raised an eyebrow._

 _"Do you have any idea what time it is?"_

 _Sucking in a breath and shrugging as non-chalantly as possible, Ben nodded. He had inherited the Force from his mother, but the ability to talk his way out of anything from his father. "Yeah, about that-" Ben started._

 _Han held up his hands. "Don't even try it, kid. I've heard 'em all and probably made half of the excuses up. There'd better be a good reason you're so late. I mean a good one."_

 _Ben's lip twitched as he tried not to laugh. "Sorry."_

 _"Well, I want to hear the reason," Han replied. "I was your age once and I at least know it's bound to be an interesting story." His authoritarian act was already beginning to crack._

 _Trouble had been avoided. If his mother would have caught him, well, that would have been a completely different story. Ben relaxed as he fell in stride with Han. "Well, there was this girl and-"_

 _"Girl?" Han interrupted, his voice breaking from its stern tone completely and a wolfish grin spreading. "Pretty girl?"  
_

* * *

Consumed by grief, Ben didn't even notice Rey. She was still seated at the Dejarik table, silently watching him from the bond, finding hope in his sorrow.


	15. Cantina

Poe leaned on his hand, still laughing at Finn's bad joke. He took a swig from his bottle, clinked it down on the bar and then motioned to the bartender. "Hey, how about another?" A bottle of neon blue liquid glided smoothly across the bar back at him. The pilot nodded his thanks and tipped his head back to take a swig, but paused when he saw a woman in tan wander into the busy cantina.

"Rey! I'm glad you finally decided to come!" Poe smiled handsomely and nodded to the empty stool next to him. "Saved it for you."

Rey smiled and waved to the small group of rebels gathered around the central bar. She'd known exactly where she'd find the company she craved; her friends often ate and drank here, their favorite cantina on the small planet they were calling base.

"Hey, barkeep," Poe called, "another for my Jedi friend!"

"Oh," Rey floundered as she pulled up to the bar, "no, no. I'm not a Jedi."

"Sure you are!" The pilot reached over and gave her a one-handed impromptu neck rub. "I saw you lift those boulders. If you're not a Jedi, I'm not a rebel."

"Jedi, Sith," she scoffed, shrugging away from his touch, "you don't have to be one or the other." Pausing, Rey wanted to laugh at herself. She'd said the words, to be sure, but they hadn't originally been hers.

Poe regarded her in confusion. "Not a Jedi? We were all so excited to say we had a Jedi on our side!" A disdainful look from the woman shut him up. "All right," he finally nodded. "Not a Jedi." Raising his drink, he clinked it to hers. "Cheers, then, my Force-neutral friend."

Rey tipped her head back and drank. It had been a hard day of training, she was thirsty, _and_ it was delicious! The world offered exotic flavors and sights, smells and textures that she'd never dreamed existed on Jakku. "This is _good!"_ she exclaimed, gulping down more of the fluorescent liquid. "I've never had anything like it. What is it?"

"I've learned not to ask that question on alien planets," Poe grinned. "But drink up. It's on me."

Nodding, Rey finished the contents of the bottle and Poe called for another. She was wiping her lips on the back of her hand when she felt the Force bond activate.

"Bad time?" Ben asked sarcastically as he surveyed the scene. He cocked an eyebrow. "I'd hate to interrupt your _date_."

She only acknowledged his presence with a quick look and matching quirk of her eyebrow.

"So tell me, _not a Jedi,_ " Poe asked. "What'd you learn from Luke Skywalker? The rocks thing – that was something I'll never forget. Did he teach you that? Or could you always do it?"

Immediately interested, Ben blew the bond wide open, passing into Rey's realm, his thigh brushing against hers as he strode into the bar, unseen or heard to all but her. "Yeah, Rey," Ben teased. "What did he tell you?" A wicked grin crept onto his face. When Rey paused and fished for words, he _tsk_ ed. "You're being rude to your friend."

"Don't be shy," Poe grinned, giving Rey a nudge. "We're on the same side. I don't have any Force whatsoever." To prove his point, he wiggled his fingers at her. "See? Nothing. But Luke Skywalker! That's amazing. You were gone for days- a week? What's he like?"

Ben leaned casually on the bar behind Rey as if he was part of the group. "Tell them, Rey," he said softly in her ear. His low voice was like honey; much too smooth and tempting. Goosebumps raced down her spine at the heat of his breath and brush of his lips against her neck. Rey stood abruptly and nearly knocked Poe off of his stool.

Poe recoiled, exclaiming loudly. "Whoa, whoa," he called as he regained his balance after bumping into Finn.

"What, you brawling over there?" Finn asked, looking up at the commotion. "Can't handle one drink, Rey?" He laughed, but his face quickly turned to real concern when he saw the empty bottles before her. "Ease up. I weigh three of you and can only drank two. It's strong."

"Yeah, sorry, sorry," Rey exclaimed. She forced an awkward smile and perched back on her stool, taking care not to touch Ben, who was smirking at her knowingly. "I'm good. I thought I saw something, that's all," she continued. "Long day, tired eyes, I guess. Ever vigilant, you know." She added a laugh for good measure and reached for her drink. "I'm fine. Luke Skywalker, though? I- I can't really say. Secret Jedi things, you know?"

Finn nodded and turned his attention back to Rose, who was scowling.

Poe slapped his hands down on the bar. "All right. You don't want to talk about it. Well, what do you want when this is all over?" he asked, aiming his smile at her.

"Over?" Rey took a drink and leaned on the bar, facing him, doing her best to ignore the apparition vying for her attention just over her shoulder.

"The war. The resistance." Poe leaned back on the bar, mirroring her. "It's going to end when we win and things are rebuilt, but what happens to us after the end?"

Rey finished her second drink in one long draw and motioned eagerly for a third. Jakku had given her nothing but the universe was now so freely offering her experiences, flavors, and in unending supply! "After the war? Haven't thought about that."

A voice as sweet as the liquor filled her ear. "Yes you have. You'll be at my side."

This time, she merely cleared her throat and shifted so that she was facing Poe even more directly, effectively blocking Ben out. She heard him huff in indigence and it made her smile.

A gleam came to Poe's eye. "I'll fly until I die, but a home base? That's the dream. A place to come back to. _Someone_ to come back to, someone waiting for me. Or someone who can meet me there after her own adventures." He held her eye contact for a moment before chuckling. "A guy can dream, at least."

Rey ignored Ben's derisive snort. "That sounds nice," she agreed. "maybe that could be my plan. I never had anyone waiting for me. I was always waiting."

"I don't believe that," Poe said, tilting his head toward hers. "You're absolutely worth waiting for."

"Unbelievable," Ben huffed. He glared at the pilot, recalling some of his memories. It hadn't taken long for Kylo Ren to pinpoint the information he needed from Dameron's mind, but the path there was littered with annoying, trite scenes. Women fawned over him because of his flight suit and good hair, eagerly throwing themselves at him and into his bed. Thank the Force Rey was brighter than them. _Right?_ "Don't fall for this space jockey, Rey," he ordered. "He only wants to drag you back to his bed. I've been in his mind, remember?"

Rey reached behind her and landed a hard smack on whatever part of Ben she could make contact with. It turned out to be the inside of his thigh. He sucked in a breath, but relaxed. "Heey," he cooed. "Easy."

"Rey?" Poe asked again. "You seem far away. Sure you're all right? I'm all ears if you want to talk about it. We've all been there. The trauma. The shit. I mean – I'm all for sharing war stories if that'll help." He reached out and covered her hand with his.

Pulling her hand away as if it had been burned, Rey shook her head, quickly noting how it made her dizzy. "I'm so sorry, Poe, sorry. It's a, a, - a Force thing. Things are just a bit stirred up tonight." She offered a sheepish laugh.

"Stirred up?" Ben repeated incredulously. " _You're_ stirred up." It was true. The whirl of the room and the increasing gaiety he felt on Rey's behalf screamed of intoxication and he hadn't drank a sip of alcohol in ages.

Poe began telling a story, his features animated and hand gestures exaggerated. His bright teeth practically glowed in the dim bar lights. Rey's eyes crinkled at the corners as she listened and laughed, clapping every now and then to accentuate her roaring laughter. Beside them, FN-2187, _traitor,_ Ben prickled, and another girl were chatting, occasionally sharing a whispered sentiment and quick kiss.

Jealousy squashed the secondhand drunkenness. Blinking off the haze, Ben glared at the pilot, who had moved into a bizarre position; perching on the edge of this stool, his knees wide, on either side of Rey, who was holding onto her own stool to remain upright. When Dameron's hand rested high on her thigh, Ben's lip curled.

He gently grabbed the back of Rey's neck to draw her attention. Rey smiled and tipped her head back to look at him. "Mmhmm?"

"You're too small to drink so much," he said urgently. "Do you even know what that stuff is? Drink some water. You're making _me_ feel drunk and I'm a foot taller than you."

"Shut up," she giggled.

Poe froze and looked at her in surprise. "I didn't mean-"

"No, not you," Rey interrupted. She pointed over her shoulder. "B- I mean, him. My friend."

Poe looked around, bewilderment apparent on his face. "There's no one else talking to us, Rey." He chuckled uneasily, then looked around again to be sure. "Force thing, huh?"

Rey swayed on her bar stool, then shrugged. "It's fine. Really. Like I said, it's a Jedi thing. Completely normal." She hiccuped. "You were saying?" Another hiccup. She giggled, then grimaced and held up her bottle and looked backward to Ben, struggling to balance now that her head was turned over her shoulder. "This _is_ strong."

Poe helped to steady her. Now _both_ of his hands were on her legs. "Hang on there," the pilot laughed.

 _No._ Ben leaned over her shoulder. "You think this is bad? Wait for the rest of it to catch up with you. Is this your first time drinking?" He reached behind the bar for a glass but pursed his lips in defeat when his hand passed through it.

"So what if it is?" Rey snapped, spinning and jabbing Ben in the chest with her outstretched index finger. "I don't need a teacher! I just have to figure out some things by myself!" She swayed on her stool again. "You can't get drunk for me." After a moment she squeezed her eyes shut. "Okay, okay, wait. You _could,_ but I want to do it myself!"

"Oh, boy," Poe groaned. "Hey, Finn, Finn? You ever seen her like this?" he called, nudging Finn as Rey continued her argument with thin air. Other rebels and cantina-goers watched as she grew increasingly agitated.

"Shut up!" Rey continued raving, waving a finger accusingly at nothing. "I'm an adult!"

Finn scowled. "C'mon, man! How many of these did you give her? She's never drank before!"

"Yeah, I'm getting that now," Poe growled. "Rey, hey, I think I should get you back to your room, huh? This _can't_ get back to Leia," he muttered to Finn. Poe threw money down on the bar, waved to the bartender, and ushered Rey off her stool toward the door. She stumbled along drunkenly. "Yeah, good girl," he nodded. "C'mon. We're not too far from here. I've got my bike. You'll just have to hold onto me really tightly, okay?"

Following along in two long strides, Ben grabbed Rey's wrist, holding her firm. Poe stumbled as she became rooted to the spot. "What? What's the matter?" he asked.

"I'll do what I want," she replied, her eyelids heavy. "I'm going."

"Okay," Poe laughed. "Then let's go, space cadet. I've got an extra helmet. C'mon. Just a few more steps."

"Rey," Ben warned. "This is not a friendly escort back to your room. This is dangerous." He tried his luck and reached out for Poe, but his hand passed through him. "Kriff. Rey, I mean it. You don't know what you're doing. Please, Rey." It wasn't the first time that he cursed the Force for allowing him to see and touch her but remain otherwise powerless to intervene in her life.

"Stop it," the woman slurred, wondering why she could feel Ben's worry ramping up. _He's always worried about me._ A sudden rush of humid air hit her. "It's _hot_ ," she commented, swaying once more and reaching for Ben to steady her.

"Rey, Rey!" a female voice came from the door.

Ben let out a breath when the woman rebel came marching toward her, the traitor not far behind.

"Roseeeeeeeeee," Rey smiled, reaching out to her like a baby reaching for its mother. Ben released her, already feeling his heart rate slowing. _She's safe._

"Yeah, hi," Rose said quickly as Rey hugged her. Glaring over Rey's shoulder, Rose targeted the pilot. "Poe, she can't ride right now. Are you for real?" She rebel barked. "We'll just walk her back. It'll be fine."

Ben turned expectantly to Poe, expecting a fight.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he nodded. "Get her home safe, all right?" He put on his own helmet and kicked his motorcycle to life without another word.

"Come on, girl," Rose said, grabbing one of Rey's arms and hoisting it over her shoulders. "You good? Walk it off."

"Where's Ben?" Rey cried out. "Don't leave him here."

"Who's Ben?" Finn exclaimed. "Geeze, Rey, you can't just get drunk and talk to guys you don't know! C'mon. We're going home."

Ben followed behind until her friends saw Rey to bed and closed her door as they left.

He lingered, sitting on the bed and considering his opinion of her friends. FN-2187 had chastised Rey just as severely as he would have. Perhaps the traitor wasn't so terrible. Maybe Ben regretted nearly killing him in the forest. Karma was delivered in the slashing blow from his own grandfather's light saber just moments later by Rey's hand, though. _Justice delivered,_ Ben thought, touching the smooth scar at his cheek.

Sighing deeply in her sleep, Rey's eyelids fluttered.

 _Are you dreaming?_

Ben touched her forehead, wiped a few wisps of hair back from her face. He had never seen someone so beautiful. He'd had the same thought when he first saw her. The notion only amplified as he got to know her and plunged into her mind. Sure, he was angry at her for putting herself at risk, but watching her sleep calmed him. Her chest rose and fall steadily, her eyelids twitched. Finally, Ben took her hand in his and held it, felt the pseudo-weight of it. Though he wasn't _really_ there, the connection made him feel better.

"I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you," he said softly. "An attack. A scratch. A bad day." He chuckled, then sat back and set her hand back on her stomach. "You are everything to me."

Rey hummed her acknowledgment and smiled slowly as she rolled onto her side. "I know."


	16. Smut, Sort Of

Ben smirked defiantly at his captor.

He was lashed to a giant rock formation in the desolation of who knew what the planet was actually called. His arms were thrown out wide to either side and chained tight enough to cause the slightest ache. Pebbles and the jagged pieces of sand dug into his knees.

Never in a lifetime did Ben expect the strange situation, but the woman pacing back and forth before him had overwhelmed and used the Force to constrain him, and he let her. How they'd gotten her was somewhat of a mishap, but one that Ben didn't find worth correcting. After months of secret rendezvous and trysts beneath the noses and around corners from First Order or Resistance leaders, Rey and Ben met on a neutral planet to express their affections freely. Her Force energy burned hungrily and his own craving was to sate her.

But that meant Ben Solo was chained to a rock in the middle of nowhere, sweating in his black tunic and cloak as Rey smirked and tossed her hair before him, looking absolutely thrilled with herself.

He wanted to tell her that the fantasy she unlocked while creeping through his mind was actually something he'd found in _her_ thoughts and filed away for himself while she slept, but the point was moot. Ben was completely at her mercy, or so she thought. Surely the chains would yield to his Force power, but for now this was fine. If Rey wanted him to submit to her will as she ordered him around, he was game. If she needed to believe this was _his_ desire in order to live out her own fantasies, he wouldn't say a word.

Ben _loathed_ the term 'boyfriend'but knew he was a damn good one.

Rey strode toward him, a knowing smile at her lips. "You'll beg for mercy before I'm through with you. You'll see."

Ben watched silently as she knelt in front of him and reached out. She reeked of the Force. Its magnetism tugged at him and the hair on his arms stood. _Yes,_ he thought, bemused, _I'll bend to her will completely before my youth is spent. It's the Solo way._

"Beg me," she whispered at his ear.

He smiled. "No."

Now her breath was at his neck, trailing down to his collarbone. Then she was in his mind, seeking out his darkest thoughts once again, analyzing how he liked to be touched and what he sought pleasure in. His stomach flopped at being exposed, but it twisted again in sheer thrill. As clearly as she was watching his thoughts and memories, he could feel her desire reaching uncontainable levels. The reaction made the chains seem seductive. Almost.

"Supreme Leader," the woman purred at a particularly raunchy thought.

The tips of Ben's ears tingled and turned red. _Yeah, that's definitely one of mine._

With a blush to match his, Rey smiled flirtatiously. "I'm flattered." Her hand trailed down his front side, slowly ticking down each muscle.

Sensing that she wanted more from him in the way of the fantasy, he took a moment. _Time for the show._ "You've seen everything," he whispered, tugging at his constraints. "I won't beg you. Someone will come for me, rescue me."

"They might. I think you're right about begging, though," the woman sighed. Her hands paused where they were, clutched the fabric of his black tunic, and tore it open.

Ben sucked in a breath. Fighting his natural response was harder than he expected, but he put on an innocent facade for her. "Rey. Someone might find us," he urged her scandalously. _Too much,_ he noted as her face betrayed her distaste.

"Hush," she snapped, pulling his light saber off of his belt. The move made his jaw fall open. Pleased, Rey ignited it and let the tip of the sizzling beam come within a foot of his throat. "You'll speak when I ask you a question. Otherwise you'll be silent, Supreme Leader." The saber fizzled to nothing and she set it down in the sand beside her own.

His hammering heart slowed and he exhaled in relief. _She might be too into this._

Rey dipped her head to his bare chest and dragged her lips over the sensitive skin. A soft moan issued from his lips, begetting a sharp slap in the cheek. "Silence," she barked, "or you'll be punished!"

"No," Ben pleaded, surprised to find he enjoyed the sting on his cheekbone. "Please don't." He blinked slowly up at her as she began to pace again. "Just have your way with me and let me go. I know these reaches are lonely. I know that's what you want with me."

"You're not wrong," Rey replied quickly. "But who's giving the orders, here?"

"You are," he answered eagerly. "And I'll- I'll," he struggled. _What do people say when they're begging?_ "I'll do whatever you tell me." _Yes, that._

Rey knelt and whispered something in his ear.

Act dropped in utter disbelief, Ben turned his head to lock eyes with her so quickly his back popped. "Really?"

The woman only raised an eyebrow. "Well, _Supreme Leader,_ it wasn't my idea. I don't know why you look so surprised."

"No, no, y-yeah?" He felt his mouth dry out as he panted. The fantasy was powerful in his mind, but hearing her whisper and offer it was more than tantalizing. " _Really?_ "

Rey stood before him and slowly removed pieces of her clothing. Her arm wraps. Belt. Vest. Though none of it was revealing yet, Ben was leaning forward, held upright by the chains shackled to his wrists. " _Reeeeey,_ " he breathed, his eyes wide and hungry. "You really want-"

"Oh," she cooed loudly, frowning. "Your instructions were _very simple!"_ She stuffed her foot back into the boot she'd just kicked off. "I don't know how many ways I can tell you to be _quiet,_ Supreme Leader." Shrugging, she grabbed the rest of her clothes and flung them over her shoulder, turning and strolling back behind the boulder. "Maybe I'll be back when you learn a lesson."

"Rey," Ben gasped. "Kriff. Rey, _Rey! Get back here!_ "

"No, no, no," she chided, suddenly atop his boulder. "Silence from you. I told you that insubordination would result in correctional action."

 _Force help me if she ever comes to the Order,_ Ben thought wildly, both severely aroused and horrified by her cruelty. He craned his head up but he couldn't see her. He tugged at the chains and they began to give, but Rey reached down and thrust out her hand, holding him still with the Force.

"Here's a bit of motivation, hmm?" she sang out, dropping something in front of him.

Her clothes landed in the sand in front of him. _All of her clothes._

And then there was something playing in his mind- something he hadn't put there. The sheer pornographic nature of the scene made him moan. "Rey," he begged. He struggled against her power but failed to free himself. Parts of him tingled and ached that he hadn't known had anything to do with desire. "You have me. Please. I'll do _anything._ Rey! You can't just-" He huffed and flexed against the chains again to no avail. "I'll do anything, _anything_. _Please._ Ah, Rey."

She landed with a soft _thud_ in the sand before him. "There. That wasn't so hard, hmm?"

Ben battled through the primal thoughts and blinked. The victorious smirk on her face told him everything he needed to realize. She truly bested him.

Ben Solo was chained to a rock, actually powerless to free himself, begging the woman he loved from his knees.

Uncertain whether it was the best or the worst part, Ben knew this certainly wouldn't be the first time.


	17. Rendezvous

Rey wasn't happy, but it wasn't even her fault.

It was a bright sunny morning and the day was free for whatever she chose to do, but foul Force vibes pulsating from across the galaxy immediately set a deep scowl on her face. Rey glared across the already open bond at the cause of the anger, annoyed to even be sensing his moodiness.

"Knock it off," she called as she watched Kylo Ren verbally disparage a trooper. "You're ruining my morning."

The slight tilt of his head indicated he heard her. He curtly dismissed the trooper and found a quiet place to talk before addressing her. "I have _feelings,_ Rey," Ben snarled from the safety of a side hallway on his ship. "I'm trying to express myself instead of lashing out. I thought you'd be happy at that development." His dark eyes studied her, soft as always upon really seeing her.

"Please," Rey rolled her eyes. "The whole facade is getting old. You had two parents who thought they were doing the best for you. Quit moping about it all the time," she snapped. " _You're_ the one who screwed up your life, not anyone else."

Ben opened his mouth to argue but thought better and gritted his teeth instead.

Rey turned to storm away, but halted after four steps, hesitated, then spun back around and returned like an ashamed dog. "That was terrible," she sighed sheepishly. The anger hadn't left her tone, but it had diminished greatly. "I didn't mean that."

"I know," Ben replied easily. He studied her, then offered the smallest grin. "This is what the future is, Rey. You've never been all light side."

"And you've never been all dark," Rey agreed. She studied his face for a moment and felt calm and steady once more. "I'm sorry." The sunshine on her back warmed her, and she turned her face toward it. "It's just so beautiful here."

"It is," Ben agreed, watching the sun illuminate her skin and set a sparkle in her eyes. "Where are you?" As soon as the words left his hips, he cringed. His stomach tightened as the Force Bond wavered in her suspicion. "No, no. I was only curious. It looks nice," he added lamely. "I didn't mean-"

"Ben. You swore you wouldn't use what we have to fight the war," Rey muttered, her voice full of pain and awkwardness. "I'm going to go. Have a better day, okay?"

"Yeah," Ben nodded glumly as she disappeared. He sighed slumped against the sleek black panel of the hallway.

Rey's words were harsh but true and nagged him the rest of the day. Snoke tempted him and pulled him to the dark side, but _Ben_ was the one who ultimately chose that path. When he'd made his rounds and dealt with business of the day, the Supreme Leader returned to his chambers and sat down at his desk. He reached for a calligraphy set and turned the pen over in his hands.

His father used to take cracks at him for his fine penmanship in sharp contrast to his usually rough, dirty hands, but that didn't stop Han from bringing special inks and paper back whenever he returned from a run or mission. Ben kept every single jar of bright or metallic color, loath to use it and not have it anymore.

Rey was right, as usual. As stubborn as she was, she was rarely wrong. Ben silently allowed the truth to sink in, breathing deeply and slowly as something was soothed by the admission. The change spurred a desire to dip a pen into an exotic color and finally reach out.

As if he were about to plunge into water, Ben took a deep breath and dipped the pen into ink.

* * *

The heavenly weather had finally dissipated after a week of bliss, replaced by a dreary day on the Resistance's new base planet. Rey was pleased to leave it behind as she embarked on what she told Finn and Poe was another scavenging mission.

"Old habits die hard," she quipped as she strode aboard the Falcon and waved goodbye.

An hour later the Falcon landed without incident on a green planet where another ship had already touched down in a field. The quiet world, abandoned for hundreds of years, made for a comfortable hideout from both the Resistance and the First Order.

Ben Solo was leaning against his ship, his thick black hair moving slightly in the soft breeze. Something was vastly different about him, but it took Rey a moment to register what.

He was wearing charcoal grey.

Rey blinked in disbelief as she crossed the meadow to him. "You changed your clothes."

"You changed your hair," he replied of the braids that wrapped around her head like a crown. "I don't need to guess who taught you how to do that." Studying her for another moment, he nodded. "It looks good."

"Grey?" A grin flickered on her lips, hesitant to ignite.

"Grey," Ben replied. He jutted a thumb over his shoulder. "Ship's probably going to stay black. Hope that doesn't bother you." A corner of his mouth ticked upward and he extended his hand to her.

Rey eagerly took it, squeezing the leather tight and sucking in an excited breath when his grip – solid and firm- tightened back. The first _real_ physical touch instead of a phantom connection from galaxies away was always thrilling, sending chills up her neck and down her arms.

"Are you here to strike me down?" Ben asked.

"No," Rey answered. "Is this a ploy to find the Resistance?"

"Nope."

It was a song they played at the beginning of each tryst: lazy accusations of only using the other for information, then the checklist of promises and guarantees, a temporary ceasefire to hostilities that truly hadn't been a threat for some time.

Pleased with their agreement, the pair boarded the Falcon.

* * *

Some time later, Rey was staring into her cracked mirror, humming softly. Her braids were undone; strands falling out everywhere and the rest a frizzy mess. Her robes lay strewn across the Falcon, tan mixed with Ben's gray.

Still stretched out on his back, Ben watched, impressed, as Rey pulled her braids out entirely and started over. Inch by inch, it looked to be tedious work. Her fingers nimbly separated strands of hair and wound them this way and that, leaving an intricate plait secured to her scalp when she was done.

Certain his hair was standing up in all directions, Ben smiled and did nothing to fix it. He couldn't be bothered to tear his attention away from Rey, his usually perfectly feathered Solo hair be damned.

"Come back here," he commanded her.

Rey cast him a glance in the mirror, her gaze lazily moving up his body, then continued braiding. "In a minute. I have to make sure I look at least somewhat innocent when I get home."

Somewhat heartbroken by the statement, Ben propped himself up on his elbows. "This won't be forever," he said. "Going home to different systems. The secrecy."

"I know," Rey sang out, watching him out of the corner of her eye but pretending to put little care into the situation. "I'm not worried."

"Good. Come here."

Rey reached for a hair pin. "A _minute!"_

" _Now,"_ Ben laughed. He reached out with the Forced and pulled her across the floor to the bed.

She giggled and allowed it to happen, collapsing into the bed, tossing the hair pin aside as the braids unwound and fell messily about her face. "I have to get back." Yet she curled back against his bare chest and pressed her lips against his long neck as his arms encircled her.

Pretending not to hear, Ben pressed a kiss to the top of Rey's head and sighed happily. "Let's just stay here. No one will miss us for a night."

"They will, though," Rey sighed. "You know they'd come looking for me. I'm sure they have their suspicions. Poe and Finn, especially."

"Good," Ben cut her off, bristling at the mention of the pilot and the traitor. He wondered whether they fancied her, if they'd imagined themselves in his current position, whether they would die for her in an instant like he would. Jealousy spiked and ignited his blood. "Let them know. Let them _all_ know. I'm not ashamed." He took her hand and traced it along the scar she'd given him. "You're safer with me than anywhere else in the entire galaxy."

"I know," she agreed, her finger following the entire extent of the scar on its own. When it reached his chest, she hesitated. "Not that it was my intention, but this is kind of handsome, you know?"

Ben snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm glad. You're the one who has to look at it."

And Rey did. She gazed at his face before boldly declaring, "I'd do it again, too."

"What?" Ben blinked up at her. "Really? _Why?_ I was never going to kill you. I only needed to make you see that I could help you."

"If it meant we'd end up here together, I wouldn't change anything." Rey sat up in the bed and considered something. "Well, there's something I _would_ go back in time and do."

Ben looked at her expectantly, his gut churning at the possibilities. Which of his egregious sins would she bring up?

In a burst of energy, Rey straddled him and plunged her hands into his hair and ruffled it vigorously, giggling in delight as he groaned and flailed for her wrists, blinded by the shock of dark hair rustling across his face.

Still giddy, Rey tried to withdraw her hands, picking carefully through the thick hair. "I've wanted to do this since you first took off your mask. Kriff, your hair is incredible."

"You should have just said so," he growled playfully, flipping her onto her back. "I'd have let you."

Rey batted her dark eyelashes up at him seductively. "And there's something else I wanted to do the first time I saw you, but you wouldn't let me out of my restraints."

"Out of the restraints? You have no sense of adventure," Ben laughed, gently wrapping his long fingers around both of her wrists and forcing them above her head. "You forget I was in your mind at that exact moment," he whispered as she began to tremble, "I know exactly what you wanted to do."

* * *

The Falcon's exterior lights blinked on, tiny beacons in the expanding darkness. Once the cheery colors would have brightened a dark haired boy's beaming face, but now they only illuminated a heartbroken man's sulk.

"Why is this ship always carrying someone I love away from me?" Ben sighed.

Rey nearly tripped off the ramp. "What?"

Ben steadied her and sighed. "My father. Chewie. You. You all get in this thing and fly away and out of my life."

Her heart suddenly set to burst, Rey reached up on her tip toes and threw her arms around Ben's neck. "I knew it! You said you love me."

Incredulous, Ben released her and stepped back. "That can't be a surprise."

"No, but you've never _said_ it."

"Because you know!" Ben scoffed. "Across our bond, and when we touch? You know, Rey."

"I know, but I just want to hear you say it again." Rey was beaming and rocking back and forth on her heels as if she was ready to blast off. "Say it again."

"No."

Rey's face fell. "Ben!"

Bending and taking her chin between his thumb and index finer, Ben kissed her. "If I give you everything you want, you'll stop meeting me."

"Please?"

"Maybe next time."

"Fine, then," Rey settled. "Next time, the moment you get off your ship I want to hear those words." She smiled at Ben's smirk.

"We'll see," he replied lightly. Then he drew something from a pocket. It was a letter. "Would you take this back with you?" He flipped the envelope over in his hands before finally offering it to her.

"Of course." She didn't need to ask what it was. She knew.

* * *

Leia greeted her warmly, with that air of knowing that made Rey nervous every time she returned home from meeting Ben.

Rey gingerly held out the envelope. "This is for you," she said gently.

Regarding it for a moment, Leia's curiosity overtook her and she reached out and took in the sloping blue letters.

 _General Leia Organa Solo_  
 _Resistance Leader_

Recognizing the tall, elegant words, she placed a hand to her sternum and looked up at Rey. "How?"

"A rendezvous," the younger woman answered quickly. "At a neutral place. Just the two of us. I was never in any danger so-"

"Of course you weren't," Leia replied incredulously. "You think I don't know my son's in love with you?" Rey floundered, but Leia nodded, trying and failing to suppress a knowing smile. _Luke was right._ "Well, I may as well rip off the bandage." Her hands trembled slightly as she opened the letter.

Three simple words sent her to her knees.

 _I'm sorry, Mom._


	18. Bait

**Author's Note: I literally had a dream about this. Help.**

The contradiction was impossible to comprehend. It was unbearably hot but also freezing cold, torturously painful but relaxing at the same time. Rey tried to blink her eyes open. Blurred faces and droids were looking down at her. All she knew for certain was that Ben wasn't there. Someone familiar, though, was stroking her forehead and telling her it was okay and that her baby was healthy and had a full head of dark hair.

 _Baby?_ Rey thought. _That's right._ She was pregnant. _The baby can't be born._ _Too early. Where am I?_ A million questions filled her mind, but they stayed there. The voices around her continued, but she couldn't hear. Now her fuzzy vision was coupled with muffled hearing. As worry spread through her daze, a voice as clear as could be rang through her mind. "Master Skywalker," Rey muttered.

Luke was there, transparent and blue, but very much there. He was smirking as usual. "I guess you do know what you're doing, kid." Luke looked her over, then frowned. "You did good, Rey. She's healthy. Your daughter is strong and strong with the Force. But _you_ need to fight now, got it? Don't you give up. They need you."

"I know," she muttered, falling into darkness and knowing no more.

* * *

Jarred from a nap, Finn looked up and squinted at his door, his ear craned toward the hallway. _It couldn't be._ Yet there it was again: a baby's cry. He rolled out of his cot and peered out the door.

He was right! Poe was slowly striding down the corridor, a small bundle in his arms. A small, squirmingbundle.

"No, no, no, what?" Finn exclaimed. "Already?"

Poe grinned. "I was just coming to introduce you two." He let himself into Finn's room and sat down. "Just look at her." Gingerly pulling back the blanket from the baby's face, Poe cooed to the newborn and held her up for Finn to see.

"Her," Finn breathed, gazing down at the tiny human. "A girl."

Beaming like a proud father, the pilot nodded. "Yeah, man! This is her! Would you look at that face?"

The identity was obvious. The baby had Rey's facial features and tanned skin, only with thick black hair instead of brown. The resemblance sent a shock of panic through Finn. "Rey! Is Rey all right?" he burst. "Where is she?"

The pilot's expression changed. "Rey's out cold. Leia's taking care of her." The baby grunted and Poe's smile returned. "But I've got her for the time being and I have a feeling things are going to work out just fine."

* * *

Leia pressed her fingertips together and sent up a silent prayer to anyone who was out there. The _Force. Han. Luke. Obi Wan. Mother. Help her, please._

Pale and clammy, Rey slipped in and out of consciousness, but never seemed to know who was truly in the room with her. It hadn't been time for her to deliver the baby, but the labor had gone well enough. It was the so-called "fall" that worried Leia.

Fighters found Rey a mile outside of base crumpled outside the skeleton of a long-ago crashed AT-AT. If it wasn't for the Force protecting her and her baby doubly, Rey would have died. Instead, she was impossibly alive, her eyelids fluttering as she mumbled names of people who were either dead or across the stars. The fall shocked her body into labor at only seven and a half months, but the medical team had assured Leia that the baby was healthy and Rey's body would heal. The general had no doubt. If she could survive the explosion that killed the entire bridge crew on the Raddus, Rey could certainly survive a thirty foot fall. Plus, the healers already marveled at how quickly Rey was recovering. _The Force_ , Leia knew.

Yet the entire situation was fishy. Rey was a scavenger and old habits died hard, but Leia didn't believe the young woman would be so foolish and to haul her huge pregnant belly up and down unstable wreckage. No, something about the _accident_ struck her as suspicious. She considered the possibilities. Perhaps Rey _had_ needed some time to herself and had a simple mishap during a climb. It was more likely that someone tried to murder her. The list of suspects was long. The First Order had plenty of reason to want Rey, Force-sensitive Rebel extraordinaire, dead. Even more gut-wrenching, Leia thought darkly, was the possibility that it could have been someone in the Resistance. There were whispers of the identity of Rey's baby's father. _Poe Dameron? Finn? Another Rebel?_ Then inevitably, _Kylo Ren_ , they muttered behind their hands. _Treason_ , they hissed. Leia pursed her lips at the thought.

None of the explanations felt right, leaving Leia frustrated and worried, watching over Rey as she slept.

"You rest and come back to me," Leia ordered her in a hushed voice. "We'll figure this out."

* * *

Finn glared at the man sitting before him, wondering if he'd _always_ been an ass, or if it was just today. The plan Poe had proposed was asinine and wild, even for him. "Say that one more time, and slow," Finn said, "just so that I know you're not pulling my leg."

Poe swayed back and forth, rocking the baby with sheer serenity cast about him. "This baby has the Force. Leia said so a thousand times when Rey was pregnant. It'll work."

"Stop it," Finn snapped, reaching out and gently pulling the baby into his arms. The little girl released a powerful shriek and he couldn't help but smile.

Poe leaned forward on his knees. "Don't think too hard about it. Use the Force, all that, you know?" he tried. "We can end the war today with this baby."

Finn glared at him. "Your plan is to lure Kylo Ren, the most dangerous person in the galaxy, to our base by waving Rey's baby around and hoping he gets a Force-whiff of her?"

"Yeah, exactly," Poe nodded eagerly. "All we need is to restrain him, then Leia and Rey can gang up on him with their Force magic and boom! We've got the Supreme Leader under lock and the First Order by the balls. She couldn't have come at a better time. We've never been stronger." He looked hungrily at the baby, then up to Finn. "Don't look at me like that."

"He killed Han Solo!" Finn glared at Poe, uncertain of the dangerous gleam in his eye. "Kylo Ren nearly killed me! He was swinging that light saber at Rey like he wanted to kill her, too! I'm not going to lure him in with a baby! He'll just try to kill her, too!"

"C'mon, buddy," Poe scoffed. "Even Kylo Ren isn't evil enough to kill his own baby."

"His own, _his own_ -?" Finn repeated. His lip twitched. Voice dangerously low, he growled, "I'll kill him. I thought Rey fought him off in the forest, but if he _touched her_ -"

"No, no, no," Poe interrupted. "Relax."

"Good!" Finn sighed in relief, still not certain what he was hearing. Rey had been secretive about the baby's father since the start, and part of him hoped it was Poe's. Seeing him waltz down the hall with the baby in his arms spurred his hope again, but now Finn had no idea what was going on. "So it's not his baby. He didn't – Rey's not-"

Holding his hands up to slow him down, Poe shook his head. "It wasn't like that. I overheard Leia warning one of the medical droids that the father was strong in the Force. Then Rey woke up just a few minutes ago and asked for him. For Ben Solo. _Kylo Ren._ "

Finn sat down, looking down at the baby in utter disbelief. Now that he looked again, perhaps the baby's face was longer than Rey's, paler. "You're telling me this _is_ Kylo Ren's baby."

Poe shrugged nonchalantly. "I'd rather see her as Leia's granddaughter." He reached over and wiggled a finger against the baby's hand. She snatched it in her tiny fist and held tight. "I mean, she's got her spunk, right?"

Unable to tear his attention from her, Finn began to tremble. "We need to get this baby back to Rey, or Leia, or someone." His voice was filled with absolute dread. "Someone with the Force. Right now."

"They're busy. Rey's not awake yet."

Finn's eyes were wide in terror. " _He can't find us with this baby!_ This is the worst idea I've ever heard. What were you planning on doing? Running out into a field and holding her in the air? Like he doesn't already know it – sense her, or Rey? I don't know! But h _e's going to kill us just for having her!_ "

The baby cooed and kicked before nestling back into her blanket cocoon, unbothered by the chaos.

Finn watched her tiny nose wrinkle before he turned back to Poe. "It's like taking a baby rancor away from its parents. They're going to find out and it's going to be _dangerous._ You think Kylo Ren is powerful now? Wait until you're _taunting him with his baby!"_

Poe's confidence wavered, but then returned quickly."It's not too late. The fighters are prepared! I'm just saying all we need to do is take a ship – no one would even know we took her. C'mon. Give her here."

"No." Finn stormed from the room, taking care not to jostle Rey's baby as she slept against his chest.

* * *

Rey awoke with a start.

"Well," Leia sighed happily. "It's about time."

"I need to – where's my baby?" She struggled to sit up, immediately noticing how exhausted she was. Her body felt foreign to her and as if was bogged by down sandbags. The extra Force buzz from her daughter was missing, but it wasn't far off.

"Calm down, calm down," Leia cooed. "The baby's fine. She's with Poe. He wanted to show her off to Finn."

"Yeah," Rey nodded. "I need to see her. I need to-" There was something else. "Wait. What happened?"

Leia leaned forward and motioned to the nurses to leave them. "You fell a long ways from an AT-AT. Were you scavenging?"

"No. Why would I? Ben would have-" she trailed off and bit her lip.

"Rey," Leia laughed. "You think I wouldn't recognize my own granddaughter? I know Ben's the father. Now come on, have some water. Just a little at a time, here, here."

 _Ben,_ Rey thought was there through the Force Bond during the delivery, but she hadn't felt him sense. He had been worried, and not just about her. He was in some sort of danger, she could feel, but it had all been too much and she couldn't focus on everything that was happening as she faded in and out of consciousness. "Ben-"

"Don't worry. We'll talk about that later. Just try to remember what happened now," Leia said.

Wiping her mouth dry, Rey drew a breath. "There's no way I could have made it up an AT-AT. But I fell? I- I don't remember that."

The general patted her hand. "It'll come back. Rest. Poe won't be long. I'm sure he's showing everyone that little girl on his way back." She chuckled. "I'll wake you when he returns. You need your rest."

"But something," Rey muttered. "I felt something." She squeezed her eyes shut and reached out, but her Force energy was temporarily spent. Something called to her, but sleep reached out and took her first.

Leia sat back and sighed, hoping Poe returned quickly. "Granddaughter," she mumbled in disbelief. Han would have _hated_ the moment of realization that they were old enough to be grandparents. That is, until he saw the baby.

* * *

Finn felt him before he saw or heard him. He turned apprehensively, fearing what awaited him. _Please don't be Kylo Ren. Please, please don't be Kylo Ren._

At the end of the corridor a tall man in dark grey robes stood panting, his hair wild as his eyes. Power radiated from him and surges pulsated in the air, obvious even to Finn, who had no semblance of the Force whatsoever. A trickle of blood that originated at the outsider's hairline had dried on his forehead.

Finn allowed himself a sigh. _Of course it's Kylo Ren and I have his baby. The papa rancor has arrived._

For a moment the men stood staring at each other before Kylo Ren reached out suddenly. Hoping to shield the baby from whatever Force attack was heading his way, Finn spun and curled around the girl with his teeth gritted and eyes squeezed shut. When the moment passed, Finn was afraid to move or open his eyes. Had he died? It was surprisingly painless, if so. But the baby cooed and kicked and he realized he was alive and there had been no Force attack.

Kylo Ren was there at the end of the corridor, standing still as a statue in the same place, his hand simply outstretched as if ready to accept a token.

Emotions raced through Finn. Anger urged him to strike the tall man down in revenge, but something else made him take a few hesitant steps forward.

Ren didn't move. "Where's Rey?"

"Where were you?" Finn snapped back. The words escaped his mouth before he could think. He looked to Ren in horror, expecting to be punished.

Ren just nodded in shameful agreement. "I know." He swiped his hair back from his face, revealing bruising and more blood at his temple. "I came as quickly as I could. You have no idea what I had to do to get here. But I should have been here. I wanted to be."

Certain he was right, Finn nodded and appreciated the steady and calm approach. Nonetheless, he awaited his death. Finally unlocking his tongue from the dryness of his mouth, he replied, "Rey's with Leia. I don't know what happened, but it wasn't time yet. She's okay, though. The baby's okay."

As if on cue, the baby gurgled and reached her arms up.

"My daughter," Kylo said, his deep voice cracking. He took a stride forward. "Please. Give her to me."

Finn stared at him, taking a step back. The weight of the baby felt monumental. _All I wanted was a nap,_ he thought in dismay. Since then, his best friend plotted to use a baby as bait and now the enemy of the resistance was simply asking to hold his own baby. "Hang on," he mumbled, weighing the options.

"Here," Kylo offered, taking his saber from his belt and holding it out. "Take it." When Finn took another step back, Ren used the Force to levitate the saber to him. "I'm her father," he rasped, emotion pouring from his expression, tone, body language, soul. "Take it. Carefully. Don't drop her. _Don't ignite it with her in your arms."_

Finn snatched the saber with his free hand, expecting a trick. As soon as it was in hand, Ren strode forward and reached for the baby. Finn scowled and snatched her away. "This is my best friend's baby. Don't you hurt her. Don't-"

"She looks like Rey," Ren whispered in awe as he saw his child for the first time. Finn nearly forgotten, he reached out and easily scooped the girl into his arms.

"Rey. Yeah," Finn muttered, holding the light saber hilt in both hands. "I think we should go to Rey."

"Yes. Take me to her," Kylo easily agreed, staring down at the baby in his arms. Silent tears streamed down his face. His lip quivered before he softly added, "Thank you."

The genuine gratitude in his voice read sincere and Finn nodded. "Yeah. Just- you're not going to kill anybody, are you? Because I'm pretty good with a light saber and I'll cut you down if you hurt that baby." His jaw fell open when he saw Kylo smile.

" _Finn!"_ A voice from down the hall boomed. "Get down!"

Finn looked down the hall and swore.

Poe returned with several fighters, a triumphant smile beaming and his blaster trained on Kylo Ren. "Finn, you got him! Good job!" He turned to his backup. "Fire on him."  
 _  
"No!"_ Finn screamed. "He has Rey's baby – his baby! Have you lost your damn mind?" He risked a glance backward where Ren was standing with a look of surprise on his face. "I'm taking him to Rey and Leia now."

Poe flipped his blaster to kill. "Move, Finn."

" _No!_ " Finn boomed as Poe raised the blaster again. " _He has the baby! Are you crazy?_ "

 _"Kill him!"_ Poe roared. _"_ He cut you down on Takodana and tried to kill Skywalker. It's his fault the Resistance was destroyed! All those lives! Get out of the way! I'll kill you if I have to! _"_

Finn shook his head and cried to Kylo,"Do something! Use the Force!"

Poe pulled the trigger in quick succession. The heat of the shots passed just inches from Finn's face and slugged into Ren's shoulder. He staggered a few steps and dropped to his knees, desperately trying to keep the baby in his arms.

"Holy-" Finn breathed, kneeling in front of Ren. He gawked in disbelief.

Kylo's arm oozed and smoked as he cradled his daughter. The pain would have been incredible, but the man seemed not to notice. He simply acknowledged Finn with a glance before returning his attention to the baby. Whatever he'd done to arrive on their base had truly spent his power.

"Move!" Poe barked. When Finn refused, the pilot leveled the blaster and fired another shot. The blazing beam of light grew brighter as it neared. Finn waited for the kill shot to burn through his chest. _Dying for Kylo Ren,_ he thought in bemusement. _And I thought that path was gone when I fled the First Order._

The bolt never hit its mark, instead incinerating against an invisible Force.

Finn grinned back at Ren, but he looked as surprised as Finn.

Rey was standing with her arm outstretched at the opposite end of the hall. Wrapped in grey robes, she looked nothing like the exhausted new mother who just an hour before been fighting for consciousness in the infirmary. The woman's strength electrified the air. "That's my _family!"_ She roared, retching the blaster from Poe with her Force strength. Bent into an eerie angle, the metal clattered to the floor. Poe stumbled backward, shaking his hands as if they'd been burned.

Kylo sucked in a shaky breath as Rey passed by him, her free hand gently tracing across his back and good shoulder. Finn glanced at her in wonder. The Rebels were cowering. Some had fled, but Poe stood staring, unable to move if he wanted to.

"You could have killed them!" Rey screamed, throwing Poe to the floor. A sickening crunch resounded through the hall.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ he choked. "I wanted to end this."

Chest heaving and hand raised toward Poe, Rey silently considered her next move. She glanced back at Ben, who gave her no indication of what to do next. He slumped against the wall, unconscious.

Finn gently touched Rey's arm. "Take care of them and the baby. I'll handle Poe."

* * *

Leia froze in the infirmary doorway. "I thought I was getting old, imagining things."

Medical droids were frantically buzzing around a bed where a tall man in dark grey was laid out. The baby nestled in his arm was being supported by Rey, who had curled up on the cot beside him.

"Don't take him away," Rey ordered as she reached up and stroked Ben's face. "He's not well. The fight took everything out of him." She idly stroked a tuft of his hair and glared at Leia suspiciously.

Approaching as if she might startle them away, Leia nodded and swallowed back emotion. "I won't."

Rey lifted the baby free of Ben's grasp as a droid cut away his tunic to treat his massive blaster wounds. Though he was entirely out, Ben's fingers twitched anxiously in search of his daughter. Rey squeezed his hand and let hers rest on his wrist.

"I remember what happened," Rey said. "We were fighting the First Order."

"You were fighting the First Order?" Leia repeated. "But you were _here."_

"Through the Force. I was there, but also here. I ended up atop the AT-AT. I was fighting a general there when I fell here." Visibly upset, Rey huffed. "I fell and Ben was alone to fight them. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. He couldn't do it alone." She blinked in disbelief. "But he did it. We won."

"And you had a baby," Leia chuckled. "It's been a hell of a day. Now let me see my granddaughter."

Rey nodded and delivered the baby to her. "We haven't decided on a name yet. We haven't decided what to do with the First Order yet. The Knights of Ren are keeping order for the time being, until we get back." She took a deep breath. "It's overwhelming. You'll help us, won't you?"

"With the baby or with the galaxy?" the general laughed, eagerly pulling the baby in to cuddle.

Ben suddenly jerked awake, his hand outstretched and the Force tingling from it. "Rey?" he blurted. "The baby!"

"I'm here," Rey said. "And the baby's here. It's over. We're safe. And General Orga-"

"Mom?" Ben breathed.

Leia looked to Rey, then took a deep breath. "Hello, Ben."


	19. Bait II

**Author's Note: This could be a continuation to the previous chapter, but it could also stand on its own, I guess?** **Anyway, Ben/Leia reunion by request!**

Ben gently stroked his newborn daughter's head, feeling her silky hair. It was a dark as his, but fine and wispy. He was certain in a few years it would be thick and shiny and fall perfectly regardless of the situation. It was his greatest genetic gift to her: Solo hair.

Though he tried to remain unaffected and keep his focus on the baby, Ben felt his mother's eyes on him from where she leaned in the infirmary doorway.

"Just a few more minutes," he said stiffly.

They hadn't spoken, only exchanged silent looks in the fleeting moments he woke up to see her in the infirmary following his chaotic arrival at the Resistance base. He hadn't dared to push into her Force signature, but Leia was obviously pleased to learn from Rey that Ben single handedly extinguished the First Order leadership and replaced it with his own Knights of Ren before rushing to her side to meet his daughter.

General Organa was a hard woman, toughened by war and loss, but he still felt something motherly in her. It must have been her brand new granddaughter that brought it out. Despite her joy that the prodigal son had returned, Ben felt her lingering apprehension now that they were alone. Seeking solace in the solitude of the infirmary had worked for a few days but he knew someone would be by to take him away eventually. Now that the time was here, Ben regretted staying on the base as he'd promised Rey he would.

"A few more minutes, then I'll go willingly," he said. Loath to look away from the baby in the limited moments he had left with her, Ben only offered his mother a quick glance. "Quietly. In restraints, if you wish."

"Go where?" Leia asked.

The gravelly quality of her voice surprised him; it had been near a decade since she heard her speak, after all. "Execution, I suppose," he replied.

Her dark chuckle drew Ben's entire attention. "That's cold, even for you, General," he snarled.

"You aren't going to be executed, Ben."

That surprised him. "Don't I deserve it? I slaughtered Skywalker's students, countless others with the First Order." Ben exhaled unevenly and pressed his lips together for a moment. "I won't hide behind my mother like a child. I accept my fate. There's no redemption for Kylo Ren." He reached back down into the cradle and touched the baby's little first. "Just tell her I came to the light for her. For her mother."

Leia actually rolled her eyes. "Tell her yourself. No one's going to execute you. You sound like just like Han. So _dramatic."_

"Dramatic?" Ben repeated, incredulous. He stood, leaving the baby kicking and babbling in the crib. Finally facing his mother, he reminded himself to keep his temper in check. "I _killed_ him. Why aren't you angry with me? I don't deserve this life, this welcome. Not from you, not from anyone. Rey was there when it happened. She _saw_ what I did, and still, she-" he trailed off.

Leia took a few steps into the room. "You're my son. How could I be angry? I had a part in this mess, too. I didn't understand what you needed for a long time, neither did your father. _Especially_ not your father," she added with a hint of a smile. "You've got that male Skywalker gene and Han's, well, Solo. Those are some tough odds, kid." Leia tried hard to keep a neutral expression, but failed. A grin crept onto her lips before she could wipe it away. "You didn't stand a chance with us as your parents. Han couldn't stay in one place in case his smuggling days caught up with him and I was so busy trying to keep peace in the galaxy." Her amusement fell away. "So we shipped you off to Luke. We were wrong, Ben. And I'm sorry."

Ben drew a breath and blinked back tears. "You were afraid of me. You _still_ are. I'm a monster."

"No," Leia cut him off. "You're my son. I was never afraid of you. I was afraid of what Snoke would turn you into. Afraid he'd use you up and throw you away."

"Well, I killed him, too."

The statement was unforgivably morbid, but Ben's matter-of-fact delivery struck Leia as hilarious. The laughter started as a few stifled giggles, then erupted into a full-blown throaty roar. She doubled over and clutched a chair, gasping for breath between guffaws.

Ben stood staring at her in utter disbelief. "Mom?"

Finally straightening and wiping her watery eyes, Leia nodded. "You fell. Yeah. You fell hard and far." She took a deep breath and continued. "But you're back, aren't you? You made up for the wrongs in a big way. Don't forget: even Vader was redeemed."

The baby gurgled and Ben picked her up. Though she beamed at him and cooed happily, Ben couldn't bring himself to smile. "I see how they look at me with her," he replied glumly. "How they look at me with Rey. They think I'll hurt them. Murder them. My own family."

Waving a dismissing hand, Leia _tsk_ ed. "They look at Rey that way, too. These rebels have never seen the Force. They're afraid of something they don't understand yet. They will. Give it more than, what, how long have you been here, three days?"

Suddenly squealing in delight, the baby lunged for Ben's face, planting a tiny hand in his hair and holding a fistful hostage. He grunted in discomfort as her deceptively strong fingers locked on and tugged.

Leia smiled. "See? There. The most vulnerable creature in the galaxy isn't even afraid of you. Babies have good intuition, you know."

The baby's second hand found more hair and gave a mighty tug, growling when it didn't come loose.

"She's not vulnerable," Ben scoffed, grimacing. "She's already strong and strong with the Force." Pride swelled for a moment before it turned to panic. He looked to Leia in apprehension. "You feel it, too."

Nodding, Leia shrugged. "What did you _think_ was gonna happen with you and Rey? I see Snoke did nothing for your intellect, you laser brain. Hopefully she got Rey's smarts. When are you going to give her a name, anyway?"

His reply was only a whisper. "What if- what if she's not good like Rey? Mom, what if she's like me?"

Space and years apart be damned, Leia knew her son. She crossed the infirmary and lifted the baby from his arms, freeing his hair from her sharp pull. Leia's hand brushed across his arm and she pretended that the contact didn't startle her. "This child has parents who know what she needs. You'll be fine, Ben." She cooed at the baby, who wanted nothing to do with her and everything to do with her father's hair.

"I'm sorry," Ben blurted. "For everything. I- I should have resisted. I tried."

"I know," Leia nodded. She eyed the long red line across his face for the first time. "That's a nice scar. I like her, you know? Your father did, too."

Ben cleared his throat as a way to choke down a strangled sob. His fingers touched his collarbone where the rest of the scar extended underneath his tunic. From time to time it still tingled or itched as if it meant to heal itself further, but he truthfully didn't mind. It reminded him of the journey, of Rey, of Han Solo. Hadn't if been his father who told him to take off his mask in the first place?

Leia bounced the baby up and down, making her giggle. "Rey was made for you. You needed someone who wouldn't take any shit."

"She doesn't," Ben replied softly. "Besides, she had everything that was mine. Anakin's light saber. The Falcon. You. Dad. Chewie."

"And now you've got it all back."

"No," Ben shook his head.

Before he could continue, Leia jumped in. "Quit talking about your dead father," she snapped. "It's getting annoying."

Ben looked up in surprise. "I only meant Rey won't give up the light saber."

Relieved, Leia laughed again. Finally Ben did, too, a deep throaty laugh that he hadn't heard come from his own mouth for years. It was okay. Things would be okay. Not the same, but okay.

Rey's voice floated down the hall. "I think the stitches are finally- _oh,"_ she gasped as she turned the corner into the room. "Leia." For a moment she stood with her jaw hanging open as she looked between the mother and son. "Is everything-?"

"Here," Leia said, handing the baby back to Ben. "Enjoy your time. Finn and Rose are adamant that you bring her out tonight after supper, hmm? Up for a little socialization?"

"Yes. We will," Ben answered quickly.

"We?" Rey repeated in confusion, her eyes slowly widening in excitement. "We? _We!_ Yeah, all right!"

With a quick smile, the general left Rey staring at Ben, who was holding his daughter and looking at her with real hope for the first time.


	20. Rebel Ben

**Author's Note: Oh, my god was this fun to write. Based on a piece of fan art I saw where Resistance Ben interrogating Hux. (No artist listed on Pinterest, so sorry! :( )**

 **I know this isnt' necessarily the ForceBond, but we'll get back to that in coming chapters.**

A blaster slung at his thigh and tall black boots freshly shined, Ben Solo strode easily through the Rebel base camp, nodding and waving as the fighters bid him good morning. His dark eyes scanned the officers and fighters' faces for a certain smattering of freckles and a small scar, but couldn't help the disappointment when the search failed to heed his specific results.

"Solo," a rebel called. "Your _guest_ is ready to see you."

"Fantastic," Ben grinned in excited anticipation, rubbing his hands together. "Let him know I'll be with him shortly. Ask how he takes his coffee."

The rebel stifled a grin and turned on her way. Ben continued making rounds. It was a morning ritual; nothing was more important to him than knowing that his fellow fighters liked and trusted him. Perhaps he wasn't official resistance leadership, but enough of the rebels put power upon him that he was forced to accept some semblance of importance whether he wanted it or not. So every morning just as the commotion began, Ben strode through the Rebel base with what his mother called the Solo Swagger. The title came with an eye roll, of course.

Ben supposed he did scream Solo to anyone who could see or hear him. All except for the hair, of course. How Han _hated_ his hair. Recently Ben wore his raven locks swept back into a half bun of sorts. Han threatened to lop it off as he slept, but the younger man trusted that the Force would wake him should his father sneak into his room with scissors.

Grinning fondly, Ben tucked a flyaway hair back behind his ear and ducked into the Millennium Falcon. "Dad!"

"Yeah," Han's voice came. Judging by his tone, he hadn't enjoyed a particularly pleasant morning.

Ben snagged a jelly-filled pastry from a tray on the Dejarik table. "You want a crack at Hux?" he called through a mouthful of crumbs.

Han appeared with a look of utter disbelief on his face. "I know I'm old, but you don't have to patronize me yet, kid." Sighing and leaning against the wall, he motioned to the door. "Just go grab the intel from his head and let's get this show on the road," Han grumbled. "I'm tired of this planet. All it does is rain."

Ben chuckled and popped the rest of the pastry into his mouth and reached for another. "Really. I want to see what he volunteers freely. Hux apparently demanded someone of his own station and rank."

A Wookie cried out from elsewhere on the ship.

"I know, right?" Ben agreed as Chewie appealed through a corridor.

Han nodded to his copilot, then scowled at his son. "Hey, that's my breakfast!"

Ben finished the second donut and licked jelly from his fingers. "Oops."

Han slumped down into a chair. "I don't get any respect around here. Leia paraded those new recruits in here yesterday wanting the big speech on what it means to be a general. The truth? You get dragged all over the place to fight off some new group of assholes on some miserable planet and your kid eats your goddamn breakfast twice a week."

Chewie and Ben snickered, but Han suddenly perked up. "Hey. Maybe it doesn't have to be that way. Yeah. Yeah! Starting now, I'm not General Solo. I don't have to be. I can just-"

"No," Ben cried out. "No, no, no. I've gotta go handle Hux. See ya later!" He snagged the last pastry from the plate before bounding out of the ship, leaving Chewie laughing and his father calling after him.

"Ben!" Han yelled. "Come back! I'm trying to promote you!"

" _Noooooope!_ "

* * *

The First Order officer repeatedly eyed his coffee, but hadn't taken so much as a sip. Restraints held his legs to the chair he was seated in, but his arms were free to reach out and partake in the caffeinated goodness if he chose. Protocol or dignity kept his arms crossed over his chest, though his nostrils flared as he took in the welcoming aroma. This wasn't his first run-in with the rebels and of one thing he was quite certain: they were _not_ to be trusted.

The guards behind him stood stoically, not certain whether to expect an escape attempt or not. They relaxed when Ben entered with the ease of someone meeting an old friend for breakfast.

"It's not poisoned," Ben said, gesturing to the coffee. "There are much easier ways of killing you, if that was our intent."

"Which one are you?" the officer uninterestedly taunted, stealing another glance at the coffee. "I've heard the Solos run this resistance and they're all obnoxiously cocky. You _must_ be one."

"Too true," Ben smirked. "General Hugs, right?"

The man's defiant attitude immediately shattered and he flew off the handle. "Hux!" he screamed, his perfectly gelled hair vibrating as he trembled in rage. "General _Hux!"_

"My apologies." Ben grinned and smoothed back his flyaways. "Shall we, General Sux?"

The general's ears burned as crimson as his hair. " _It's Hux!"_ He lunged for his coffee to launch it across the table, but the cup slid out of his reach toward Ben.

"How rude," he frowned as the cup arrived in his hand without so much as a drop sloshing over the side. "And I thought we were being good hosts by offering both regular and decaf." He took a long drink and let the cup clink back onto the table before continuing. "So we captured you. Welcome to our base."

" _Obviously!"_ Hux took a deep breath and sat back, desperately trying to collect himself.

A mop of dark hair popped into the tent. "Who's that I hear in there? Is that Huggsie?!" Commander Poe Dameron bounced in uninvited and sat next to Ben. "Huggsie. What's up? Nice of you to come visit. I see you've met Ben. Sorry, sorry," he corrected himself dramatically. "Commander Solo. I know _we're_ friends," Poe said, motioning between himself and Hux, "but I don't think you two have met, right?"

"Right," Ben nodded. "I don't think we're getting off to a good start. He didn't want the coffee."

"Didn't want the-" Poe trailed off dramatically. "Hugs, man, show my bro some respect, huh?" He leaned forward and whispered loudly, "You're _embarrassing me."_

Hux even _blinked_ with hostility. "You infuriating buffoons! Enough of these idiotic theatrics. I've so looked forward to seeing your pathetic resistance blotted out," he snarled, " _especially_ you two."

Ben faked a look of joy and pointed down Poe. "There it is. You hear that? I _told_ you he's been thinking of me." He leaned on the table and flashed a handsome grin at the prisoner. "Am I as tall as you imagined, General?"

Hux's blush was bordering on purple as the dark-haired men cackled and slapped hands. Even the guards' neutral expressions cracked.

"Get this over with," Hux barked. "You'll get nothing from me. Just kill me now and spare me your two-bit comedy routine."

Ben sighed. "You're right. Sorry. It's just so exciting to have visitors." He turned to Poe. "Where is she?"

"The _princess?_ " Hux breathed in hungry anticipation.

Suddenly indignant, Poe snorted. "Leia doesn't have time for space junk like you. Sorry, Huggsie." He stood. "I'll go find her for you. You gonna teach her some mind reading today, huh?" He nodded. "Solid."

"What, then," Hux snorted to Ben. "Don't tell me you have a Padawan."

"No, no, no," Ben interrupted. "Not Padawan. I'm not a Jedi. Don't believe the rumors." He sat back and kicked his boots up onto the table. "She's my apprentice."

"My, my, Solo," Hux purred, "that sounds like you aren't a Jedi at all. Who knew the Resistance harbored a Sith lord?"

Suddenly uncomfortable with the verbal sparring, Ben cast out his hand and forced silence upon the general.

A few minutes later Poe returned, followed by a girl in brown leggings and a tan tunic. Her tall boots matched Ben's, except hers were caramel. She wore her hair in a row of buns along the back of her head and a shy smile on her fair face.

Hux's eyebrow quirked slightly. It didn't take a Force user to detect his sudden interest in her.

Ben rolled his eyes, then sat on the table top before the prisoner, his feet still nearly touching the ground. "General Hugs, this is my student Rey. She'll be interrogating you today." He nodded to the girl, who looked back to him uncertainly. "You've watched me do it a dozen times," Ben said softly. "It's all you. Intent. Focus. Confidence." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "You'll be fine."

"There truly _are_ two of you now?" Hux asked as Rey dragged another chair next to his. "I've not heard of a Jedi girl and there's little that goes on in the galaxy that I don't hear about." His gaze was more charming than the vindictive sneer he saved for the men. "Are you certain your powers aren't being wasted with these space rats? I could create a place for you with the First Order."

"I'm not a Jedi," Rey said with the same strange indignation her master had taken on. She sat on the edge of the seat and stared intensely into Hux's eyes as Ben and Poe knocked fists and snickered once more. "Now. This won't hurt if you don't resist."

His lip twitched and he looked away. Rey's own expression intensified. Beads of sweat began to form at the general's hairline. Rey leaned forward slightly and put her hand out so that it nearly touched the man's face. Her fingers were graceful and relaxed. Hux's face contorted in effort and pain. "Enough," he groaned through gritted teeth.

Pride swelled as Ben watched her work. Not long ago she was just a strange Force dream; a beautiful vision he hated waking up from. Night after night he hoped to see the girl and wondered if she saw him in return. Months later when they locked eyes on Jakku by sheer coincidence, Ben knew the girl recognized him.

With Rey's arrival, life had taken a serendipitous turn for the resistance. Everyone loved her immediately, but she chose to spend her days and evenings with Ben, learning new skills or ravenously chowing down on his cooking, but more often just talking late into the starry night. Until he met Rey, Ben had no idea something had been missing.

At last Rey sat back and released Hux from her interrogation. "The First Order is moving to send us soldiers posing as recruits!" she exclaimed, beaming up at Ben. "They'll be arriving today and another wave tomorrow. Twenty seven of them all together."

"That's perfect," Ben grinned. He stood and clapped Hux on the back. "Thanks for cooperating, Hugs. Our time has come to an end, but you're going to have a great afternoon with the generals."

Rey chewed at her lip, suddenly nervous. "Ben, aren't you going to double check?"

"Why would I?" he shrugged, motioning to the guards.

"Maybe you should make sure I didn't miss anything." Rey stood and offered her chair. "Just in case."

Ben frowned. "Do you feel like there's something he's withholding?"

"No, but-" Rey cleared her throat and shifted her weight awkwardly. "Can't you just check? Please?"

"Rey!" Ben laughed. "Trust yourself. I do. Twenty seven new traitor recruits. That's the official word." He hesitated, then smiled at her. "You're just as strong as I am. There's nothing more I could retrieve from him. Don't doubt yourself."

A smile came to her lips and pink to her cheeks. "Thank you."

Hux glared at them in absolute contempt. "Are you _quite done?!"_ He panted to catch his breath and slouched in his chair, clearly exhausted. "Take your pitiful flirting elsewhere."

Ben cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "It's rude to interrupt, Hugs."

Rey sheepishly cleared her throat and nodded to the tent flap. "I, uh, told Finn I would spar with him." With another shy smile, she left.

Poe nudged Ben as she disappeared from sight. "She likes you," he mouthed obviously.

"What?" Ben breathed in surprise. "Not a chance. I've been in her mind. Isn't that something I would have noticed?" He scratched the back of his neck. "Isn't it?"

"Yeah, you were in her mind." Poe rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You don't have a crush on someone in your mind." He tapped his chest. "It's in here. And boy, does she ever, you lucky bastard."

Even Hux groaned. "Surely you can't be _that_ thick, Solo."

Raising an eyebrow, Ben shot him a look. "You and I just aren't going to get along, are we?"

* * *

It was sprinkling lightly as Finn and Rey swung staffs at each other in a clearing near the forest. Han Solo was right – it only ever rained on their current planet. Even with the mist, this was considered a nice day.

Finn ducked and jabbed his staff at Rey, who stumbled into the mud as it _whapped_ against her thighs. She stumbled back to her feet and thrust at Finn. He grabbed her staff and used the end of it to knock her backward again. This time, Rey sat in the mud and caught her breath.

"Come on," Finn teased her as he pulled her back to her feet, "your _teacher_ isn't going very hard on you if that's all you've got." He twirled his own staff before advancing on an imaginary enemy. "The First Order isn't going to go easy on you. You should let _me_ train you. I know the enemy. I _was_ the enemy!" His face lit up at the idea. "Staffs, blasters, mental toughness. I could prepare you better than _pretty boy_ could." He glanced over his shoulder. Certain the coast was clear, he smirked. "Besides, I've never seen him rush into battle with the rest of us. Wouldn't want to mess up his hair."

"Don't say that," Rey snapped. "He's more powerful than you could imagine. You don't just throw that kind of weapon on the front line. You wouldn't understand."

Rolling his eyes so hard he surely saw stars, Finn scoffed. "That Force junk won't save you when an electrostaff is swinging toward you. C'mon. Let me train you instead." He sank into a battle stance and Rey did the same.

"It will so," she grumbled. "And Ben is a great teacher, _thanks."_

Finn dodged a blow, then landed one between Rey's shoulder blades. "You used to be better than this," he barked as she cringed. "You need to be practicing what's actually important! You're wasting your time with Solo. Have you seen his temper? He's a wackadoo, Rey!" His amusement had soured.

Rey all but snarled aloud. Playtime was over. This time her attack was quicker, more aggressive. Finn grunted as two rapid blows hit him in succession. The pair regrouped and engaged again. Time after time they wordlessly spun and swung, panting and crying out in pain as the sparring changed to harsh slashes at any body part they could reach. Rebels began to wander over to investigate the cries and sharp cracks of the staffs colliding. By now both duelers were filthy, covered head to boot in mud, sweat, and blood.

"Take it back," Rey growled as she advanced, staff whirling. A trickle of blood dripped from her split brow but the precipitation worked to wash it away.

Finn frantically danced side to side to dodge her ire. "Not until you admit I'm right! All those magic tricks are a waste of your time. If you're going to help us, _actually_ _help us!_ " He caught Rey in the stomach with the end of his staff and smirked as she dropped to her knees with a groan. The small crowd gasped and murmured.

Now he circled her like a shark as she sat in the mud, trying to catch her breath.

"Quit messing around with that creep!" Finn said darkly. "You really wanna be the one there when he finally snaps?" Desperation crept into his voice. "I'm trying to help you, Rey. Ben had to find you because no one else wants to spend time with that freak! At least I like you for you and not what you can do." He dropped his staff. It landed with a wet _squelch_ as he extended a hand to pull her out of the puddle.

Instead, Rey stood on her own accord, leaving her weapon on the ground. A split second later her fist crashed into Finn's cheek and sent him staggering. Chatter rumbled through the still-growing audience but none dared step in. After all, both of the brawlers were perfectly capable of defending themselves, and everyone know the pair to be friends. Sometimes it just took a good schoolyard fight to work out differences in order to move on.

Shaking her hand off, Rey scowled in Finn's direction, but avoided eye contact. "Ben Solo is the only one to ever come looking for me. Don't you say a cruel thing about him again!"

"Is _that_ what he's teaching you? To sock your friends in the face? That's the secret Force trick, the great Jedi technique?" Finn massaged his cheek. "He's a freak!"

"You want to see a freak?" With a hiss, Rey threw her hands out in front of her to attack. Before she could unleash her power, a calm, deep voice sent a chill down her spine.

"Rey, stop." Ben strode through the crowd and into the mud.

Poe was by his side. "What the hell, man?" he exclaimed as he stormed to Finn and grabbed him by the collar. "In front of everyone? What's your problem? You don't beat one of our own into the mud!"

Finn brushed his hand away and shoved past, giving Ben a sidelong glare. "I'm not sorry. Someone had to say it," he mumbled. He marched off and the crowd dispersed, not wanting to stay and see what Ben had to say about the scene.

"Are you all right?" Ben asked, taking a quick 360 degree check of the woman before looking up at her face. Blood was still oozing lazily from her eyebrow; thick syrupy blood clotting in her eyebrow hair. "That's going to need stitches."

"Yeah," she mumbled. "I got hit."

"You weren't keeping your emotions in balance," Ben replied. "That was a good lesson, if anything. Always keep your feelings in check."

Rey's eyes widened. "You saw? _Heard?_ "

"The whole thing." Ben tried to hide his hurt. The whole outburst had truly shocked him; he _thought_ he was generally well-liked through the resistance. Finn had never seemed to like him, but now Ben knew that for sure.

"I'm sorry," Rey blurted. Sighing, she shook her head. "I wasn't going to-"

"It's okay," Ben cut her off. "You're still learning to control your power. Han caught a few of my outbursts when I was younger. I know exactly how you feel." He held out his hand.

After a shaky sigh, Rey gingerly took it.

"Yikes," Ben said, reacting as if an electric current flowed into his fingers from hers. "I was going to nix training for the day, but we'd better work out that pent up energy. I think I'm the only freak here who could handle it." He grinned into Rey's sullen face, hoping to make her smile.

Poe chuckled darkly. "He wasn't wrong, though. Maybe you are a freak. Leia has the Force, but she can't do _half_ the stuff you can. Speak of the devil," he added.

"You three!" Han's voice boomed across camp.

The mud made sucking sounds as Rey struggled to stand at some sort of attention. Leia and Han were crossing the camp to their muddy clearing "Generals Solo!" She looked to Ben in a panic, but he simply replied with a lopsided grin that assured her there was nothing to worry about.

"A mech just said you just beat the snot out of Finn?" Han asked as he approached. After studying her muddy clothes and bloody face, he cringed. "Looks like the other way around, actually. You all right?"

Rey nodded.

"Get that stitched up. Looks awful," Leia noted, nodding at her eyebrow.

"I dunno," Poe shrugged. "Finn went off on her about Ben. I have no idea what that was."

A look of understanding passed the generals' faces. "News travels fast around here," Leia sighed. "Ben's being named general tomorrow and Han's stepping down. I knew there'd be blow back, but I didn't expect it to be from Finn." She shook her head. "Men."

Poe and Rey reacted with sheer surprise and concern. Before they could speak, Han held up a hand. "Leia doesn't need me," he scoffed. "None of you do. I just want to go somewhere warm and enjoy a nice meal and a strong drink. Peace doesn't take in this galaxy but I at least thought I'd be long dead by the time the next group rose to power. Giving orders, battle plans: wasn't ever my thing. I work better alone." The weight of responsibility had already left him and left him feeling lighter. He offered a lopsided grin that matched the one his son just showed Rey.

Leia nodded. "Ben can wrap this thing up. We're old. You're young. It's your turn."

Rey and Poe looked between the three Solos, delighted at the turn of events. Ben, however grimaced and shook his head. "No," he replied. "I don't want – I can't -" He gestured to Rey. "I've got a padawan and I couldn't possibly manage the rebellion without her training sliding."

"Padawan, huh? I thought you weren't a Jedi?" Han snarked gleefully. "People have done more impressive things and still trained their padawans. Besides, Rey's smart and you won't be training her for long."

Rey grinned. "Thanks!"

Ben's nervousness grew palpable and his easy nature fell by the wayside. "Mom can handle it, if your heart's not in it." An edge crept into his voice. "I won't do it. You don't know what you're asking of me." He held his hands out and conjured sparks between his palms. "No one wants me to be in charge of anything. It's too dangerous. You _know_ that." He pointed to Rey. "One of our men just fought my padawan because he thinks I'm unfit to train her. How could I lead the entire resistance?"

Leia crossed her arms. "Ben. You're ready. When I was your age I had you and we'd already won against the Empire. Quit worrying." She looked to Poe. "You're my other best pilot, Dameron. Who else would you see promoted? I never threw your name in the ring because I know you'd never get out of the cockpit to do anything else."

"That's right, General," Poe agreed enthusiastically. He clapped Ben on the back. "There should always be a Solo leading this resistance. You've got this, buddy!"

Sensing his son's doubt, Han nodded seriously. "You'll do great, Ben. Hell, you already do. Just keep doing what you're doing, and if anyone comes barking around for General Solo, I'll send them your way."

Rey touched Ben's arm. "There will be so much more for me to learn now!" She giggled and it made him feel warm. "Do it for my training, if you won't do it for yourself."

"Okay," he said softly, his heart swelling at the support. "I accept."

* * *

"Ben, I mean, _General Solo,"_ a fighter called to Ben a week later, "Rey said to let you know she's already setting up in the forest."

"Thanks!" Ben called. _General Solo,_ he mused to himself. Several fighters had to run after him and literally, physically grab his attention since his promotion. General Solo had always been his father. Or mother. Never him. Not until now.

 _Resistance General Ben Solo._

The words sounded good on Rey's lips, though, and good thing. She insisted on trying out his new title at every opportunity, obviously more excited than anyone had any right to be. Ben smiled at the thought as he made his way toward the clearing in the woods where they trained. Suddenly Poe and Hux's words rang through his mind. _She likes you._

The possibility never passed his thought filter before without being shot down quickly and effectively. _She's young. She's smarter than to get involved with a Solo. She likes Finn. She's far better than what I deserve._

Ben had easily pushed down his interest in her and instead devoted his effort to being the best teacher he could; supporting her and giving her every piece of advice and technical information she could possibly benefit from. Her growth and strength delighted him and come to think of it, so did hearing her giggle when she called him General and the way the sun brought out her freckles.

Again Ben tried to deny the thought. Rey had never acted as if she was interested in him beyond a teacher, _had she?_

 _Sure,_ she brought him food and drink when he forgot or was too busy and always with a laugh and smile. Even when training exhausted her, Rey always kept working if he pushed her, and she never doubted his training sessions, no matter how bizarre they were. And perhaps she did show up at his room at all hours of the night when the Force showed her a vision or dream that amazed or horrified her. More than once she'd curled up next to him in his cot, sheepishly explaining that she didn't want to sleep alone.

"Kriff," Ben whispered as his heart began to hammer. "I'm an idiot."

He nearly turned around to regroup himself, but heard a groan of effort and quickened his pace.

In the clearing, Rey struggled against the pseudo-weight of an entire fallen tree levitating fifty feet in the air. Her arms trembled and knees locked. The log wavered and crashed to the ground, sending Rey tumbling forward. Her nose made contact with Ben's sternum with a dull _thud._

"Ow," she moaned, pinching her nostrils together. "You're like a brick wall." Rey sniffed and wrinkled her nose a few times before looking up. She sucked in a breath. "I'm, I'm fine," she sputtered.

But Ben didn't step away. "Rey," he started.

"I can usually move things that big," Rey quickly defended herself. She spun and lifted the tree once more, but it quickly crashed back to the ground and she cried out in frustration. "It's like my power is _tired_ after yesterday. We trained for a long time, and I'm not-"

"How long have you had these feelings?" It was more of an accusation than a question.

Rey's jaw moved up and down wordlessly. "I- I sense your doubt. Don't. _Please_ don't. I'm just drained and you said yourself that sometimes you need some time to recharge between-"

"Not that," Ben interrupted. "You like me." Another accusation.

"Of course I like you," Rey answered earnestly, if not bewildered. "You're a fantastic teacher, Ben. _General,_ " she added with a breathy laugh. When Ben merely gazed at her, a pained look passed her face. "Oh. You didn't know?"

Chuckling sheepishly, he shook his head. "No." Then, sensing her dire curiosity, he added, "I wish I would have. I was too preoccupied with everything to let myself see it." He swallowed hard. "Uh-"

That was all it took. Laughing and sighing all at once, Rey threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. How perfectly she fit against him, Ben thought. He was endlessly thankful they didn't need to discuss it further; he was truthfully speechless.

Rey reached upward and stood on tip toe. Her breath was warm at his lips and chills ran down his arms. "I don't want to compromise your training," Ben murmured against her mouth.

"Then I will," she whispered, tucking her fingers into his hair and pulling him closer. Then her lips were on his, passionately confirming Poe's suspicion of her feelings.

Elation and peace soothed and energized his very soul. "How did I not know?" Ben breathed when they broke apart. "How long?"

Rey giggled. "From the very first time I saw you in my dreams."

"Rey," he muttered, kissing her again.

"General."


	21. You'll Turn

It wasn't until Rey slumped against him that Ben realized she'd finally drifted off to sleep.

Startled, Ben froze, taking care to breathe deeply and slowly as to not disturb her. Carefully tilting his head so he could gaze upon her face, he felt a warmth exploding through his chest and igniting every fiber of his being. The sun was rising soon on this scenic place and he hadn't slept a wink, but as far as Ben Solo was concerned, everything was right in the universe.

The Force was showing itself to be useful in more incredible ways every day. Just after dinner Ben sought Rey's presence via the Force, needing desperately to vent to her and hear her warm bemused voice smoothing over his issues and making things seem better than they were. When her face appeared, she eagerly listened to his many rants and snarls about the dismal events of the day. Her presence alone brought him a great deal of calm, and her words even more.

As they spoke, neither could be bothered to notice a neutral place materializing around them. It was an entirely new setting, not his own reality or hers. A green planet where birds called out and a soft breeze tousled their hair was around them, bringing the fresh scent of the sea. When Rey tucked her flyaway tendrils back behind her ear for the fourth time she looked into the breeze and gasped at the new place, uncertain whether it was something they created or somewhere the Force determined they should meet.

They spent the entire night sitting side by side on a grassy ledge overlooking an ocean, their arms brushing every so often, staring at the reflections of the stars on the water. Easy conversation ebbed and flowed like the tide; natural as sunshine. Ben and Rey both longed to lean against the other solely to enjoy the physical connection, but didn't dare out of mutual fear of spoiling the thus far perfect evening.

Rey yawned and grew quiet as the first colors of dawn faded into the sky. She peacefully sighed every so often. Ben imagined they'd been there near seven or eight hours, never stumbling into an awkward silence or uncomfortable topic. Even the silence was enjoyable. As often as he could, he stole a glance at her, falling in love with the way the sparkling lights reflected in her eyes.

And now she was asleep, her full weight cast against him.

Ben pulled the cloak from his shoulders, draped it over her, and let his cheek rest against the top of her head. Their Force bond connected plenty of times while one of them was sleeping, but for Rey to fall asleep in his presence was new. The Jakku scavenger nearly split him in two with his grandfather's light saber, but now her guard was not only down with him, but gone entirely.

Vulnerability always qualified as a weakness in Ben's mind. That changed as the Force blazed between them, an open bridge for emotions and thoughts to pass freely. The unprotected nature of the woman wasn't weakness at all, Ben realized as he gently looked into her mind, but utter trust and confidence in him. Time after time she bet in his favor, even after he failed her. He sucked in a breath and felt the Light flash in him at the revelation. Ben squeezed his eyes shut and pressed a kiss to Rey's scalp. In return, she shifted even more into his arms in her slumber.

He swore under his breath, knowing life had just gotten infinitely more complicated.

* * *

When the bright sunlight crept into Rey's face, she woke up excitedly, looking for Ben and frowning when she recognized her own room on her base. Ben and the beach had gone, materializing back to where they rightfully belonged in space and time. Closing her eyes and rolling over in her cot, she swore she could still smell him. It was a soothing mix of leather and the slightly minty shampoo he used on those midnight black locks. The smell was as if he was there with her. Squinting an eye back open, she looked down at the blanket covering her. It was Ben's cloak, somehow left behind from its owner. Not caring about the physics of how it returned with her, she buried her face in it and squealed happily.

When she crawled out of bed and headed to breakfast, she fastened the cape around her neck and wore it into camp. Poe studied her for a moment when she sat down next to Leia with an embarrassingly large stack of pancakes drizzled with sauces and scattered with berries. "You gonna eat all that?"

"Yes, do you have something to say about that?" Rey replied, picking up a fork and eagerly tearing apart the fluffy goodness. She closed her eyes and moaned, cheeks full of food. "Delicious."

Leia watched the pair over her coffee mug. They never failed to amuse the general. She loved all of the rebels, but perhaps these two most of all. The pilot and the scavenger bickered more than she and Han had, and it made them all the more interesting to eat with. Interested to see which topic they'd choose to nitpick next, she reached for her roll and silently observed.

"And that cloak's a little bit long, isn't it?" Poe's eyes were narrowed and his voice was challenging. "Did you seriously steal that? I swear I've seen it before, and not on you."

"I didn't steal it," Rey scoffed. "Maybe I'm just a little short and I'll grow into it," she shrugged, doing her best to appear unaffected. She knew Poe was suspicious of her relationship with Ben. So what? For now all she had was a new black cloak and that was hardly damning evidence. If anything, he should have honed in on her giddy inability to focus on anything. _That_ seemed to wave a blatantly obvious flag that Rey was quite smitten. She shoveled in another mouthful of pancake.

"General Organa," a communications lieutenant roared through the rebel base. "General Organa!"

Ruffled to be disturbed over her breakfast, Leia barked back, "What is it? Can't I ever finish a cup of coffee without some sort of hell breaking loose that no one else can manage?"

The lieutenant thrust a datapad into her hands and stood trembling as the general read the memo. After a moment, Leia simply slid the tablet to Poe. "What do you make of this, Commander?" she asked with a sly smile.

Eagerly snatching it and reading the screen, Poe's jaw dropped. He blinked and looked across the table to Rey. Then his eyes grew wide. "Holy shi- is that _his_ cloak? How'd you do it?"

"What?" Rey asked through a mouthful of fruit. Shaking her head furiously at Leia, her eyes grew wide and fearful. "I haven't done anything."

Leia chuckled. "Rey, I think you've done _everything_."

Poe reread the datapad, his eyes flicking up to her after every other word. "Kylo Ren is defecting to the Rebellion with one condition."

Jubilation exploded in the Force around Rey. She frantically chewed down her food and gulped. "What's the condition?" she breathed, trying desperately to contain her roiling thrill.

Poe cleared his throat and read, "I, Ben Solo, hereby communicate my intention to defect to the Resistance on the condition that Rey of Jakku continues to serve its cause."

"He turned!" Rey burst, exploding up from her bench and nearly tackling Leia with a hug. "He turned. I knew he'd turn!" Words turned to shrieks and tears flowed in joy. The general chuckled and hugged her back, her own tears clinging to her lashes and proudly refusing to fall.

"Aren't we going to consider that this could be a trap?" Poe asked over the cheers. "How do we even know it's him and not Huggsie?"

Leia smiled kindly at him. "Ben is a Solo. It just took a mouthy woman to win him over and that's the end of it." She threw her arms around Rey once more. "I knew there was something special about you."

"It's the Force," Rey laughed hysterically. "I did it with the Force!"

"No," Leia smiled. "Force or no, Ben was destined to find you."

Poe sucked his teeth and nodded. "All right, then. So that's that, huh?" He handed the datapad back to the lieutenant and reluctantly gave the order to send along their coordinates.

* * *

Time had slowed to a crawl as Ben awaited the perfect moment to leave the First Order. He wasn't afraid of being found out or captured, but simply eager to see Rey and anxious to see how the rest of her friends reacted to him.

When his ship door opened, he took a deep breath and brushed his hair back. This was his destiny. "Rey?" Ben asked before the crowd of Resistance officers who immediately moved in on him. Their weapons weren't drawn but he sensed they would be if he made a sudden movement.

"Ben!" Rey exclaimed, pushing through the crowd. Several soldiers tried to grab her, but she easily evaded them and launched herself forward. She collided with Ben with a _thud_ and clung to him, her legs wrapped around his waist and arms encircling his neck.

Easily supporting her, Ben spun around, relieved to finally be able to hold her in his arms. For the first time, he laughed a hearty laugh that made Rey join in.

"Listen here, Kylo-" Poe started in. "Here's how things are gonna be."

"Not now," Leia said, pulling him back. "Now yet."

Rey's grip on him was almost comically tight and Ben couldn't stop laughing. Rey was giggling, too, or crying, or both, but it was in absolute joy. "Nice cloak," he murmured into Rey's hair. "That's really why I've come."

Rey laughed and punched him in the bicep. "You came because this is what I saw when we first touched hands. Am I'm keeping the cloak."

"As long as I can keep something of yours," Ben replied. "It's only fair."

Pulling back from him and letting her feet drop back to the ground, she cocked her head. "I don't have anything you would want. Skywalker's saber is destroyed-"

"You." Ben smiled. "I just want you."


	22. Summer Storm

Rey's breath caught in her throat as thunder cracked violently through the air. Rey's heart hammered even harder and she looked out the small window to the outside world where the darkness was suddenly, temporarily cast away by a bright flash. As darkness returned, she looked to Ben quite differently than she did a moment ago, her eyes wide and frightened instead of half-lidded and sultry.

"Don't be afraid," he muttered throatily from beneath her, giving her waist a reassuring squeeze. "It's just a storm." He took the brief pause to brush his hair back from his face and catch his breath. Stroking her bare thighs as they straddled his pale hips, he dreamily gazed up at her. "There weren't any storms on Jakku?"

They were entwined together in the Falcon, long muscular bodies moving in sync, too long starved of the other's physical attention. Black and tan robes were strewn across the floor and tall black boots rested beside a small brown pair. When he'd eagerly kicked off his boots, Ben couldn't help but chuckle and think of the varied and numerous threats Han issued over the years about using the Falcon as a bachelor pad.

 _"Don't you descereate the Falcon. When you get your own ship I don't want to know about it and I don't care what you do, but this is_ my _ship." Han pointed at him accusingly. "I don't_ care _if the girls think it's so great you're a prince. Don't even_ think _about it, Ben."_

Yet not twenty minutes earlier a girl who couldn't care less whether he was a prince or a pauper had all but dragged him onto the ship with the intention of fucking him senseless.

Now Rey traced the long scar down his neck and across his chest, taking strange solace in it as another bolt of thunder made her flinch. "Jakku is nothing but sun and sand. I'll get used to it. Promise." She shook off the fright and laughed sheepishly before regaining her balance and bearing back down on him. Her lips parted slightly as she swirled her hips back and forth, loving not only the warm sensation that spread upward through her torso, but the way Ben's mind went blank when she moved just right.

"You will," Ben whispered, his eyes closing in pleasure. A low moan followed as Rey tipped her hips forward. His long fingers squeezed her ass demandingly. "Kriff, Rey."

"Like this?" she mocked, slowing her motion down.

"Rey," Ben half-growled, half-panted. He bucked his hips upward and moved to roll her onto her back, but a flash of lightning lit up the darkness and the subsequent shock of thunder sent Rey leaping across the bed, shrieking in terror.

Blushing but not quite ready to laugh it off, she snatched Ben's black cloak from where it had been discarded at the foot of the bed and pulled it around her shoulders. Sliding out of bed, Rey padded carefully to a window and peered out cautiously as if trying not to be seen. A violently loud boom rattled the ship and she came running back to the bed, cloak flying out behind her as she launched herself over Ben. "When will it stop? Why is it so _loud?_ " Panic threatened to overtake her, but she managed to squash it back down. The evening could still be redeemed, but perhaps not after a fit of hyperventilating.

A bemused smile was at Ben's lips and he struggled to stifle his laughter. "It's only thunder. It'll stop when it's done." He tugged the cloak away. "You're safe here with me." He wet his lips and pulled her back onto her side, dragging her across the mattress to spoon her. It was something that calmed her whether she ready to swing her lightsaber through someone or about to cry. " _Mmm,"_ he hummed into her ear as she nestled against him, trembling. "I always thought you smelled like the air just before a storm. Serene. Charged. Relaxing. Dangerous." He traced his hand down her side, slowing to appreciate every curve. "Powerful. Beautiful."

She rolled over and studied his still face for a moment. "That's the first time anyone has called me that."

"Which one?" Ben replied. He held her tighter as lightning flashed. This time, though, the thunder didn't seem to startle her as her gaze into his eyes penetrated his very soul. Ben realized long ago that Rey didn't need the Force to look through him and see every fiber of his being. No, they rarely used the Force on each other anymore, except to connect when they were apart. They didn't need it.

"Beautiful." Rey smiled. "No one ever called me that. You're just saying that because you're in a very compromising situation." Her fingers found his member. " _Very_ compromising."

"Mmm," Ben agreed, trying to ignore her tempting touch. "I've never told you you're beautiful? I thought you knew," he frowned. "Of course you're beautiful. Striking eyes. Those freckles. And your smile. How determined you look when you're focusing. The little hairs at your neck that are always curly. The scar on your cheek." He kissed her deeply, his large hands winding into her hair. "But there are so many better things to bring up than your looks. That's all."

Rey giggled and kissed him, beginning to move her hand smoothly back and forth.

"Kriff," Ben groaned. "If you're scared of the storm, we can– _ah._ "

Rey flipped him back onto his back and straddled him once again, biting her lip and tipping her head back as tingles spread through her breasts and down her arms. "I didn't come all this way to cuddle, Solo."

"You're using me for sex?" he exclaimed in mock hurt and surprise. "Welcome to the Dark Side," he teased, pressing his hips up to meet her rhythm.

"At the moment, yeah, maybe I am using you for my own needs. I've seen in your mind. I know you don't mind." She bent to kiss him, but Ben easily slammed her onto her back, eliciting a delighted gasp from her.

"Then I suppose I should give you something worth coming back for so you keep me around," he purred.

The thunder continued to crash outside, mixing with Ben's low laughter and Rey's cries of delight.


	23. Prank Time

"Are you busy?"

Mid-bench press, Ben turned his head to greet the apparition smiling coyly at him. "No, no, hey!" Several large weight plates were stacked at each end of the bar in his hands. He smoothly lifted it up with little effort and clanked it back into the rack. "How are you?"

The Force worked in mysterious ways, but after months of practice, Ben and Rey brought the bond between them under control and essentially used it as a galactic video chat. Random connections still bridged their minds from time to time, but the unpleasant surprises slowed to a few times a month.

Rey's gaze lingering on Ben's sweaty bare chest and impressive torso, she shook her head. "Oh, fine. I mean, you can finish. It was nothing important. Keep doing your thing." Her gaze flickered away, then back to his bulging arms and the sweat glistening on his abs.

Mischief vibrated through her and it made Ben smile. As dark and fearsome as he wanted to be, he'd long accepted that it would never be the case around Rey. "No, no, I'm done. What is it?"

"I wanted to scare the guys." She wrinkled her nose and giggled. "They're giving me a hard time about my training. Wouldn't it be so funny if you picked me up and they thought I was just floating around?" She wiggled her arms around. "The Force still freaks them out."

Ben frowned. "Giving you a hard time? Why?"

Rey rolled her eyes. "They think I'm not getting stronger because they can't _see_ what I'm practicing. I want to give them something that they'll never forget so they'll shut up."

Ben chuckled, then shrugged. "Why not?" He mopped his face with a towel. "Just let me take a shower."

"I don't mind if you're sweaty," Rey added. _Actually_ , she thought wickedly, _it's quite appealing._

Pretending he didn't hear the thought and wasn't having similar ideas of his own, Ben tossed the towel aside. "Okay. Get on my shoulders, then."

The way he looked up at her with that dark smolder sent a roiling wave of excited chills down her arms and chest. "Yes!" Rey squealed, quickly stepping onto the bench and climbing onto him with surprising grace. Ben easily knelt as she situated herself as if it was something they did routinely. Physical touch used to jolt them into an emotionally exhausting place, but they'd been in contact through their bond so frequently that it seemed strange only when they were apart. Warmth and calm soothed Rey as it always did when she was near him. Ben's hands were solid anchors holding her to him and Rey had no doubt he'd keep her upright.

"I see working in the Resistance hasn't done much for your nutrition," Ben commented as he stood effortlessly. "You're light as a feather. You should eat better. I can put something together for you so you know what your body needs to stay energized. The Force burns through a lot of calories."

"I eat just fine," Rey scoffed. "It's rude to comment on someone's weight. Especially when you're carrying them."

Ben cocked his head and craned his neck to look up at her. "It's not your weight. It's your health, Rey."

"Yeah, well." Rey stuck a hand into his mane of black hair and ruffled it wildly. The sweat moistened her fingers and the strange intimacy of it slowed her for a moment.

Chuckling, Ben rolled his eyes. "All right. Where are your friends?"

* * *

BB-8 was the first to notice the woman levitate into the room where the rebels were scrolling through old archival information. The droid beeped quizzically at his master, who looked up in confusion. When he spotted her, Poe scooted his chair violently backward, swore, and reached for his blaster. Finn, on the other hand, released a shrill shriek.

Ben couldn't help but crack a grin, though he despised the rebels for reasons various and numerous. With Ben completely invisible to anyone but Rey, it appeared as if she was floating six feet in the air.

She shrugged and casually tucked a stray hair back into place. "Why are we screaming?"

"Rey!" Finn cried. "Stop! What are you doing?" He stared pale-faced and wide-eyed at Poe. "Do you see that?" He touched his forehead and shook his head. "Am I seeing this right?" When the pilot nodded, Finn shoved him. "Do something!"

Taking a cautious step forward, Poe holstered his weapon. "Yeah, how _are_ you doing that?" he asked suspiciously. He strode forward, hand outreached.

Ben took a step back and Rey chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Is this a Force thing?" Poe muttered, lunging forward and swiping his hand through the air under Rey, hoping to catch something.

Ben cringed as the hand passed through his chest. "Weird," he noted up to Rey. "I can _feel_ it."

"Quit that," Rey quickly scoffed at Poe.

Instead, he walked under her. "Incredible."

Ben rolled his eyes. A smile crept across his face as he realized that he was using the Force, a powerful weapon and tool, to prank Rey's friends. Years ago Master Skywalker was screaming at him for misusing the Force to draw a chair away from a table before sitting. Now the mighty Kylo Ren was giving an astral piggy-back ride to another Force user. The absurdity of the situation was just another sign that pointed to his intense affection for her.

"Really, stop, stop," Rey ordered. "It's a Force thing. You space jockeys gave me such a hard time for only doing _mind_ things that I went and figured out how to do something else." She grinned and threw her arms out dramatically. "Ta-da!"

Finn hadn't recovered from his fright. "Are- are you sure? Can you get down?" He pointed to Poe. "Get her down. Pull her back down. Rey, we'll get you down."

Crossing her arms, Rey scoffed, "I'll come down when I want." Embarrassment burned in her gut. She expected her friends to react in surprise, not treat her like a cat stuck in a tree.

Noticing Rey was sliding slightly, Ben hoisted her up higher onto his shoulders and let one of his hands slide from her thigh to her knee. "This isn't going as well as you thought, I take it?" he asked, sidestepping Poe as he swiped again. Ben sighed and cringed at the sensation of the man's arm traveling through his torso. "I thought they respected you." Though his words were harsh, his voice was kind.

Rey reached down and stroked her his hair as casually as she could as an indicator that he was right.

"Oh, my god," Finn exclaimed, finally mustering the courage to join Poe in swiping at the air under Rey like a cat. "She's stuck. Is that why you're here? You need help? Maybe you should find Leia."

His face changing from mystified wonder to a scowl, Poe growled, "Did Kylo Ren do this somehow? He's the only other one who can do Force stuff." He nodded to Finn. "Can he hex people? It looks like some sort of hex, right?"

"Oh, if only you knew," Ben muttered.

The former stormtrooper nodded solemnly. "I wouldn't put it past him." Finn turned back to Poe and continued as if she couldn't hear. "No, no, I don't like it. Nope. Who else can figure this out? That's not anything I've ever seen her do. Hell, it's not anything I've seen Leia do. It's definitely that asshole Ren." He stalked in a circle around Rey.

"You leave him alone!" Rey exclaimed, eliciting open mouthed gapes from the men. "I'm just going to go," she hastily finished, tapping the top of Ben's head.

"If you're not hexed, come down." Poe crossed his arms. "Or I think we're going to have to take you in for observation to make sure he's not controlling you. You can't do this. Rocks, sure, that one time, but that was adrenaline."

Ben actually laughed aloud. He snorted and looked up to her, liking the way her thigh flexed to hold herself steady as he jostled her. "They can't be serious. You could throw them through the ceiling right now if you wanted. You haven't shown your full strength to them?" He patted her thigh. "I'm honored you let me in on that. Really."

Her heart suddenly hammering harder from irritation at her friends or flattery from Ben, she stumbled for an escape. "I don't want to reveal my secrets," Rey quickly stammered, afraid it would look too obvious if she climbed back down Ben. "I'll see you at supper."

"Nuh uh," Poe barked. He lunged and caught hold of Rey's foot. "Come down," he commanded, holding her leg firm. "If he's not in your head you can just come down here."

"Poe, let go of me," Rey ordered, trying to tug her leg free without losing her balance. Her weight carried her backward and she nearly fell, but Ben secured her.

"Got her," Finn cried as he grabbed her other leg and pulled.

"Ah, fuck," Ben snarled as Rey cried out and gravity pulled them both downward. He slammed down onto his knees before they toppled onto their faces. It would hurt tomorrow, but it was better than Rey breaking her nose or worse.

"There," Finn breathed in relief, releasing her leg. "Was that so hard?"

"You jerks," Rey snapped as Ben bowed his head and she slid off his shoulders and onto her feet. He watched her in utter surprise as she advanced on the men, lip curled and the Force vibrating angrily off of her. "I don't need you two looking after me, you know," she snarled. "You have no idea how I was doing that! You could have hurt me!" She glanced back to Ben, who nodded that he was all right.

"Easy," Poe scoffed. "We're looking out for you."

Finn jutted his chin out. "Yeah. If you were under mind control, wouldn't you want to know we'd try to help you out? We'd face down Kylo Ren for you! I _have._ " He tapped his shoulder. Ever wearing Poe's old flight jacket, Finn knew exactly which set of stitches he needed to reference. They were thick black twine and hastily done, pulling together a singed area where Ren's red light saber once burned through.

Ben's teeth were bared and for the first time, Rey thought he was underreacting. She stalked toward Finn and Poe as they continued to move backward. "Quit treating me like a kid sister. You know nothing of the Force!" Her disappointment simmered and began to boil. "You run your mouths for days about how I'm not learning anything and can't do anything visible, and now you accuse me of being _mind-controlled._ Give me more credit. I could throw the lot of you against the wall right this moment if I wanted!"

Ben followed as she stormed into the corridor. Before he could speak, Rey leaned against a wall and looked up at him, her mouth scrunched to one side as she chewed at the inside of her lip. "Well, that was humiliating." She shook her hands as if trying to shake out her frustration.

He pursed his lips. "They mean well. You know they do."

Surprised that he was siding with them, Rey jabbed a finger into his bare chest. "I'm not anyone's burden. I don't need babysitting. And I don't need your pity."

"I know," Ben agreed quickly, holding his hands up in submission. "People fear what they don't understand. You're doing well. You _are_ learning and growing stronger. I can feel it." When Rey sullenly stared past him, he couldn't help but smile fondly. "You never wondered why I never have company? It's hard to have this power, Rey. It's alienating. It's intimidating. Everyone wants to be your ally but they're too afraid to get close. I lived that every day until you," he added gently. "I might not be much, but I understand how hard you're working. I see it."

Rey reached up. Her hand rested on the side of his neck as if she might kiss him and his breathing quickened, but instead, she held it there in lieu of an embrace. "Ben. Thank you."

Behind them the door slid open and Poe rushed through it. "Oh! Rey. You didn't go far." He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "I hadn't really thought of what I was going to say."

Ben cleared his throat. "Told you. I'll go. Work things out with your friends. They do mean well." He ducked and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead to give her a boost before excusing himself from the connection.


	24. I See You

Rey woke up with a start and peeled her cheek from the slick of drool on her pillow. "Bleh," she grumbled as she wiped off her face and smacked her lips. Uncertain whether a nightmare or some commotion outside was guilty of jarring her awake, the flipped her pillow over and rolled onto her other side, ready to ignore the sunlight streaming in her window and go back to sleep.

"Good morning," a deep voice greeted her with a hint of humor. "It's ten o'clock."

Rey jolted out of the sheets once again. "Ben," she gasped. She ran the back of her hand over her mouth. "How long have you been watching me?"

He scoffed indignantly. "I haven't been _watching you sleep._ You've just been in my periphery."

Rey sucked in a breath and tried to look unaffected. "Do I snore?"

"No, but you talk in your sleep," Ben replied with a jesting tone that didn't betray whether he was telling the truth or not.

"Kriff."

"Is that how they talk on Jakku? In the Resistance? Boy, times change," Ben further roasted her.

Stretching and getting out of bed, Rey rubbed her eyes. "If you think that's bad, boy, do I have some educating to do, Your Supreme Leader Princeliness."

Ben immediately stiffened. "Don't."

"Don't dish it out if you can't take it," Rey muttered as she pulled clean clothes from a small dresser. "Do you mind?"

He nodded curtly and turned as she began to undress. "With Kylo Ren, I revoked any title or honors Ben Solo once held. I'm not a prince. I'm the Master of the Knights of Ren and Supreme Leader of the First Order."

"Nonsense. You _are_ Ben Solo. Just because you don't want to be doesn't mean you're not still a prince. It must be nice to have everyone serving you and adoring you." Rey pulled on her boots and smirked over her shoulder at his back. "So did you grow up in a palace?"

"Stop."

"Prince Ben. It's cute. What would Hux and the others do if they knew you were a prince?"

Ben spun back around to chastise her, then sucked in a breath when he caught an eyeful of her bare back. Lingering longer than he should have but unable to avert his gaze, he sputtered, "Sorry," and simply watched as she pulled a tunic over her head.

Nonplussed, Rey raised an eyebrow as she turned to face him. "So, your highness, what's up? You must want something since you hung around all morning."

"Ah," Ben recovered, quite stuck on the sight of the curve of her waist. "Just thought I'd let you in on a First Order plan that would jeopardize your pilot friend. I know you're fond of him."

"Poe," Rey corrected him nervously. "When? What are they planning? Why didn't you wake me up?"

He reached out and handed a holopad to her, marveling once more that the Force allowed them to transport not only thoughts and feelings, but physical objects to each other. "The First Order's plans to intercept Dameron's mission are on there. It's not for a few days. A few hours didn't hurt. You looked so peaceful."

Rey quickly transmitted the plans to Leia, then nodded. "Thank you, Ben."

"Of course."

"You're a kind and benevolent prince." She laughed. "Poe will appreciate it, even if he's been really weird lately." She scrunched her mouth to one side and chewed at the inside of her lip. She surveyed Ben, trying to read his mood and whether he was willing to offer advice. As always, he was looking at her kindly and nodded for her to continue. "Do you ever have that happen? He just acts so strange, like he's afraid of me. I've never hurt him, I swear. Am I putting off bad Force energy?" Rey regarded him anxiously, awaiting his take.

"You want me to teach you?" Ben chuckled softly.

"Yes," Rey burst. "I - I need a teacher." Offering a lopsided smile, she shrugged. "You were right. I can't do it myself and Master Skywalker wasn't interested in giving me the help I need."

"All right. Lesson number one. Let's go." Ben reached out to her and took her hand, effectively pulling her into his realm.

* * *

Rey marveled at how dark everything was on the First Order ship. Black floors. Black walls. Black panels. Black uniforms. Black droids. Even the woman walking down the corridor toward them had black hair. She was fiddling with something in her hands and didn't notice Ben striding toward her until he stretched out his arm and summoned the device to him. It landed gently in his hand.

"See if this looks familiar," Ben muttered to Rey before turning his attention to the officer.

Shocked to see her device leave her grasp, the officer looked up and gasped before immediately taking a knee before him. "Supreme Leader," the woman whispered in terror.

Ben studied the device, a tiny droid, then smiled. "I heard you were working on this, Lieutenant. You can get up," he added nonchalantly. Ben turned the droid over and smiled when it beeped in protest at being inverted. "You made this yourself for fun?"

Nodding, she bit her lip and sipped air through her nostrils furiously as she slowly stood, as if trying not to spook him.

Determined to perhaps push through the lieutenant's fear, Ben made a real effort to connect with her. "Are you interested in engineering?" he asked. "I'd be happy to facilitate a transfer if that's where your talents and enthusiasm are. It's entirely your choice, Lieutenant." He smiled and patiently waited for her answer as she trembled and stuttered, struggling for the correct protocol. When she failed to provide a response, Ben tilted his head and offered a casual lopsided smile. "Lieutenant," he scolded good-naturedly. "Truly. Do you want to transfer? What would make you happy at work?"

"Anything you command, Supreme Leader." The girl still hadn't looked up to match his gaze. Instead, she had gone paler and was staring intently at the floor between them. Sweat trickled down from under her cap.

"Let's do that. Welcome to the Engineering Division. I can tell you have a real love for it." Ben took her hand and let the droid scurry back to her palm. "I'll let your CO's know. Take the rest of the day off and report back tomorrow. Well done. Good work."

"Sir," she bowed again. "Thank you." Then she whirled away in the opposite direction, unable to get away fast enough.

"That's sad," Rey muttered as Ben watched her march away. "I'm sorry."

Feeling the familiar cold rejection sink in, Ben nodded. "That's your first lesson. Your pilot friend is only the first of many who are going to treat you like you're about to explode and take the whole world with you." He leaned against the hallway, his tunic and cloak nearly camoflauging him against the sleek black panel. "Can you blame them? We can kill a man without touching him, read minds. We're both skilled pilots and fighters and can speak across the galaxy and move things by just _thinking_ it. We're terrifying no matter how you look at us, Rey."

"You're not terrifying," Rey scoffed. "You have beautiful handwriting and are such a good cook!" She smiled, but knew her kindness would do nothing to slice through the defeat he was feeling. The first time Poe looked at her as if he didn't trust her, she cried herself to sleep. Rey couldn't imagine how Ben spent his entire life on a ship full of people who treated him the same or worse.

He smiled glumly. "You called me a monster. But you are, too. They chatter about the girl who bested me and killed Snoke. You're a demon." Then a flicker of a smile came to his lips. Pride sparked to life in his chest and Ben couldn't extinguish it quickly enough before Rey detected it.

"Me?" Rey breathed. "But I'm hardly intimidating." The notion of hardened military generals fearing her, a nobody from Jakku, made her grin. Though she often resented Luke Skywalker for not teaching her any practical Force skills, now she realized perhaps he wasn't the teacher she needed. Straightening, she shrugged. "I'm just a nobody from Jakku, remember?"

"You don't give yourself enough credit." Ben brushed his hair aside so his scar shone in the light, the tip of it disappearing beneath his collar. "You nearly split me in two, Nobody from Jakku."

A door slid open and a droid passed through Rey from behind, making her cringe. "That feels weird," she shuddered.

"Doesn't it?" Ben replied.

"Doesn't it what, Ren?" an irritated voice from through the door came.

The First Order knew Kylo Ren did certain things because of the Force, but he couldn't explain away talking to himself in the hallway. Seeing no way to protect his secret connection with Rey, arguably the First Order's most wanted rebel, Ben sighed and stepped into the quarters, subtly motioning for Rey to follow.

General Hux didn't bother to look up from a book in his hands. A large cat with fur the color of his own hair was curled in his lap. She blinked her large green eyes at the pair. Rey gasped when the cat looked at her and meowed.

"I was just giving an order to a droid. General Hux," Ren greeted him amiably. "Am I interrupting?"

"Obviously." He licked his slender finger and flipped a page. Though he made no obvious moves, his body language changed from relaxed to hostile. Every muscle in his body tensed. "What do you want?"

Ben sat on a trunk near the chair and Rey perched just behind him. Deception was one of his many skills and he used it now to feign an excuse for being at his room. "I wanted to see how the swearing-in ceremony went for the new officers."

Not gracing Ren with a glance, Hux snapped, "It was fine."

"Weren't you going to make some changes to your address?" Ben asked. He leaned forward, hoping to catch Hux's attention. "Did they respond well to it?"

"Their response was to be expected."

Ben nodded. "Which version do you like to deliver? The old one or the new?"

"What does it matter?" Hux snarled, slamming the book shut angrily and glaring up at him. His annoyance and hate was hardly veiled. "What do you really want, Ren?"

Rey touched Ben's back, shocked at the insubordination from the general. Poe always joked that Hux was the real head of the First Order, but he seemed like a troubled boy, the same as everyone else Rey knew.

"That was all," Ben replied curtly. He stood to leave, but reached down and stroked the cat between the ears first. She purred and Hux looked down to the cat in betrayal. "She _likes_ you?" he spat, pulling the feline away from Ben's reach.

"Animals love me," Ben answered earnestly. "Animals are good judges of character, Hux. They either like you or they bite you." He grinned. "And she's purring. Maybe you should trust her instinct, General."

"Indeed," Hux mumbled, eying him suspiciously. "I'd appreciate it if you forgot that you know about her." He scratched the cat between the ears and she purred again. "Millicent is all I have."

Rey felt the general's sadness and desperate loneliness and wanted to reach out and pull him into a hug until she realized it wasn't his emotions she was reading. They belonged to Ben.

Frowning, Ben reached for the cat once more. "I'd never harm your cat. She's beautiful." Letting his hand drop to his side as Hux pulled the cat further from his grasp, Ben sighed. "I'm glad you have something to greet you at the end of a shift. I wish I had the same."

Hux didn't seem to notice his sincerity. Instead, he cuddled the cat closer and stroked her neck. "Should _any_ ailment or injury befall her, I will find a way to kill you myself." He sniffed. "Perhaps your scavenger girl has taken mercy upon you time after time, but I won't if you so much as _look_ at Millicent."

"Understood," Ben nodded. "Goodbye, Millicent."

Rey was nearly in tears when the door slid shut behind them, leaving the duo in the middle of the deserted corridor. "They're so afraid of us," she commented. Suddenly it all seemed too much. "It doesn't matter what we do, then? They'll always see us as danger?" Sobs shook her chest. "Master Skywalker went into exile, and his master before him, and his before _him_. The Force. That's all there is. That's all anyone will see in me and it's like I won't even be anything to anyone. Ben, I can't do it. I want to be normal. I wish I'd never learned about this." Panic swelled in her throat. "I don't want the Force!"

"Rey," Ben said softly, reaching out and holding her shoulders. "It may not be much, but I see you."


	25. Hurt

**It's a little dark and not Force-bond-y, but I saw an amazing fanart of an enraged Kylo holding an injured/dead Rey and IT HAD TO HAPPEN.**

He sensed it before he saw it. A dark acid crept through his veins, instantly burning away anything good in him. The Light extinguished and left not the Dark in its void, but utterly nothing.

A hush fell across the battlefield on the grassy planet where Rebels and First Order clashed at long last. The mighty Kylo Ren strode slowly to the epicenter of the battle as the magnetic pull drew him in. Soldiers from either side moved wordlessly aside, allowing his passage to the body smoldering in the grass.

He had arrived late to the fight. In reality, Ben didn't mean to come at all. Instead of leading his troops into battle, he racked his brain for any way to tip the scales in the Rebels' favor. The scavenger girl, the nobody from Jakku turned him and now he couldn't bear the thought of seeing her beloved Rebels, her friends, her mentor and his mother obliterated. Yet it was a fight she demanded of his military leadership and it proceeded without his say. And what had it won her?

Rey lie bloody in the grass, her body contorted strangely, unnaturally. No one knelt at her side. No one dared come within ten yards of her. No one even bothered to fight one another, but rather, collectively, anxiously danced foot to foot, sharing one thought: _what happened? What happens next?_

Ben wondered the same. Something felt different. It hung in the air and only intensified as he took one horrid step after the next. In truth, he knew what was happening, but didn't dare acknowledge it. Couldn't.

The body was at his feet now. He knelt beside her and ripped his gloves off, utterly shocked to see her chest rise and fall. "Rey," he whispered hoarsely as he stroked her cheek. The extent of her injuries was grievous. Death was on its way. Tears clouded his vision and rained down onto her.

Her eyes batted open. "Ben?" Her voice was nothing but a rasp that shouldn't have been possible. "Ben." Then she sighed and let her eyes close for a long moment. "I wish you were really here."

"I am," Ben replied eagerly, sitting and pulling her into his lap. The smell of burnt flesh and the metallic zing of blood burned his nostrils, but he pulled her closer anyway. "I'm here. Really here." He brushed hair back from her face and choked back a sob. "Rey."

Rey gazed up at him dreamily. "And everyone can see you taking care of me." She struggled to look around as the crowd watched them in wonder. "I can hear their thoughts. _What would Kylo Ren care about a scavenger for_?" A hint of a smile passed her lips.

"Good," Ben nodded. "Let them see." He knelt and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Feigning confidence in her future, he grinned. "How many times do I have to tell you? You may be a scavenger girl from Jakku, but not to me. You're everything to me." He caressed her cheek. "I knew from the moment I saw you – sensed you."

Forcing a weak giggle, Rey smiled. "There's light in you, Ben Solo."

"Because of you," Ben quickly answered. His voice cracked and lip quivered, but he willed them to stop. Not yet. Rey deserved his best. "I'll be better. I promise. You were right. You were always right. I turned for you."

A smile wider than before came to her tortured face. "Take care of them? They're my friends." Her voice was nothing but a wisp of a whisper now.

"Of course. I will." He took a shuddering breath.

"Ben?"

"Yes, yes. Rey, I'm here." Ben panted. He could feel death creeping into her and the strange emotions she felt at the realization that her life was ending. They washed over him and mixed with his own panic. "I have you. You're safe." He gritted his teeth and tried to think of something to say. Nothing came but more death and its gentle creeping.

"Ben," she whispered again, her eyes locked on him but unseeing. "I see them."

His entire body contracted. "Wait, Rey," he choked. "I love you. Take that with you, okay? I love you."

"Ben," she whispered one final time before sighing and dying.

"Ren," Hux posed loudly from nearby. "There. She's gone. You've killed the last Jedi. Now where does your allegiance lie?"

With Rey's blood on his hands and her body cradled against his own, Ben glared up at him. Hatred burned in his eyes. His jumble of emotions shattered his control and he felt the Force surging wildly from him.

"Supreme Leader," Hux cautioned, sensing the danger. "We can end this now. Let the girl go and let's be done with it."

Ben couldn't care less what happened to the war. Hugging Rey's body tight, he stood and carried her like the first time they'd met. She was limp in his arms and the only difference between Takodana and here was that she had died and fallen in love with him. Snarling, he looked up as tears flowed down his cheeks. "This is _your fault!"_

Hux stepped back. Alarm showed plain on his face as the rebels and troopers moved back, still uncertain of the future of the battle but very sure that they were still in danger. "No," the general said slowly. He eyed the corpse in his arms and stumbled back further. "It was your plan, Supreme Leader." _  
_

"You knew the Rebels would be here." Ben sniffed and hoisted Rey higher into his arms. Embracing her tight, he buried his face in her neck. "You killed her." Suddenly he turned toward the Rebel base. "Give me General Organa!" he screamed.

Bracing himself with a deep breath, Hux stepped closer. "Ren, the girl is gone but we can avenge her death by finishing this war and moving forward. The galaxy will have new order-"

With one sweep of his arm, Kylo Ren broke every bone in the general's body. The man let out a strange squawk and crumpled to the ground; another corpse on the battlefield. Another officer shouted for the men to fire on the Supreme Leader, but a sonic wave of energy slammed into the remaining battallions of troopers, knocking them to the ground and stealing away their life.

Panting at the sheer effort and sudden draining sensation he felt, Ben fell back to his knees, refusing to drop Rey back into the grass. "Bring me the general," he called hoarsely to rebels nearby.

"Ben. I'm here," a wisened voice from behind him came.

Craning his neck, Ben nodded to her and then let his head hang. "Mom."

General Organa stood several yards away, a mix of emotions battling on the lines of her face. She knelt before her son and looked into his face, so different than the boy who left her, but not so very different that she couldn't read every fleeting expression on it. Various sentiments passed through her mind, but nothing needed to be said at that moment.

Ben huffed and squeezed his eyes shut for a long while as he rocked Rey back and forth in his arms. Finally, he looked up to Leia as if it had only been ten minutes since they last spoke, not ten years. "I can bring her back. Convince me I shouldn't. Tell me I should come to the light and let it be. _Tell me._ "

Leia reached out and touched the girl's face. She never had a daughter, but imagined she would have been just like the scavenger. She was smart and strong, stubborn and sassy. Words came to her at last. "You know that's not what Rey would do."

Blinking in surprise, Ben stared at her. "What?"

"Maybe she hid it from you," Leia offered. "Rey wasn't the embodiment of the light like you think." She chuckled, even, and tucked a strand of hair behind Rey's ear before clasping her hands. "I think she'd exhaust every possible option to be with you whether it took the light side or dark side." Now she focused her attention on her son. She smirked sadly and unabashedly studied her son's face. Neither time nor familiarity lessened the strange feeling Leia got when she saw her own reflection as well as Han's face staring back at her. "I know why I liked Rey so much. That conflict, that gray energy was so familiar and I forgot why." She nudged him. "She's just like you."

Determination lit in his soul and Ben hoisted Rey higher in his arms and stood. "General. I request temporary immunity in order to-"

"Shut up," Leia smiled. "Come bring that girl back."


	26. Training

**A/N: Back to some fluffy fluff.**

Rocks clattered to the ground and Rey cried out in frustration, bringing her fists down into the grass she was sitting cross-legged in.

A Porg scuttled by and chirped at her quizzically, its head cocking to the side as it determined whether she was something it could eat.

Ahch-To was deserted by Master Skywalker, the caretakers, and everything but the Porgs. Granted, it looked worse for wear now that the caretakers weren't around to clean up after her, but it was probably better off that way. Despite its stillness, the island still called to Rey in her dreams. The bright sky and happy creatures above the island cheered her and the darkness beneath soothed her soul. It was the perfect place for her to hone her Force powers and try new things. As often as she could sneak away, she traveled to Ahch-To and let the powerful Force vibes wash over her.

Rey sipped a breath in through her nose and centered herself once more. The Force was all around her and inside her, vibrating from her and pushing against her. She harnessed its energy with sheer will and used it to levitate the pile of rocks before her once more. She opened an eye and found them hovering, each rotating in unison.

Delighted laughter bubbled from her lips and with a flick of her fingers, the rocks began to spin faster and faster, each turning on its own axis. She was pleased with herself until the rocks began to waver and spin wildly from orbit, pelting her face and the grass. Shrieking and throwing her arms up to protect herself, Rey recoiled from her creation and winced as pebbles sprayed her.

When the last of the rocks fell back into the grass, Rey realized another Force element was at work. She looked up in embarrassment. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Not bad," Ben Solo's deep, velvety came. "Practicing?"

"I _was_ ," Rey mumbled. She closed her eyes and tried to center again, ignoring his tantalizing intrusion. Without opening her eyes she knew the rocks were wobbling unsteadily in the air. A moment later they clattered to the ground once more. "Could you not?"

"Not what?" Ben was leaning on his hands, grinning at her, happy to be in her presence.

"Do that."

"I'm just sitting here."

Rey huffed and shook her head slightly, trying to rid herself of the way he reminded her of Han. Squeezing her eyes shut, she thrust her arms forward and cringed as the rocks scuttled along the ground weakly. "Well, I can't focus with you sitting there."

"Of course you can't," Ben replied. "You're wild. Sloppy. I can help you. I can refine your power."

It was the same offer he extended a thousand times and would extend a thousand more. This time Rey cocked her head and studied him. She wondered why her equal in the Force would offer her training and skills that would enhance her skill and threat to him. The answer coursed through her veins and made her scalp tingle. "Fine," she answered suddenly. "Teach me."

Ben nearly fell off of the rock he'd perched on. "Really? _Really?_ " He stumbled to his feet in shock.

"Yep." She picked up her staff and twirled it. Then she grabbed another she stashed on the island for training purposes. That one she tossed to Ben. "Train me. Hand to hand is what I've been focusing on lately. I'm ready to learn, Master Solo."

His nose wrinkled at the title but he didn't object. "Hand to hand? All right. Remind me what you've got." He held the staff like it was a saber.

Rey's first attack came quickly and furiously. She caught Ben offguard, but he quickly recovered and advanced. Her staff clanked and cracked against his. Before long, sweat dripped down both their necks. With each parry and duck, Rey's adrenaline burned in thrilled delight. Danger wasn't the igniting spark, but proximity to her phantom.

Ben nearly caught her in the shoulder but jerk the blow back just in time that it only touched her. "Focus, Rey," he barked, pushing his hair off his forehead and wiping the sweat away. "You're getting distracted." He shrugged off a jacket and held the staff aloft once again.

The pale flesh of his bicep caught her attention. The definition caught her off guard and she had to duck to avoid his sweeping strike.

"Rey!" Ben snapped. "You're better than this. I thought you were my equal." He lowed his staff and shook his head. "I was wrong. Okay. We'll just have to start with basic meditation and build from there."

Determination renewed, Rey roared a battle cry and launched a new assault. This time, Ben ducked and grunted. "Better," he cried as they advanced and danced together, staffs whirring.

When finally they were locked together, chests heaving and staffs crossed, Rey allowed herself a glimpse of his throat, trailing to his collarbone. The hint of skin was much more than Ben usually showed and just the taste was incredibly distracting. Taking advantage of her preoccupitation, Ben advanced roughly, backing her up and giving her no chance to regain her ground. Staff flying, he backed her against a hut.

Crying out in frustration and exhaustion, Rey struggled to keep up with the blows. Ben slowed his pace but kept pushing until her back was literally pressed against the stones.

Gradually lowering the staff to her side, Rey caught her breath. Ben was getting closer, his steps were careful yet persistent until he was there, toe to toe with her. There were tiny flecks of gold and green in his dark eyes and Rey wondered how she'd never noticed them before. Suddenly he was upon her, his lips a mere reach away. Her breathing seemed embarrassingly loud and uneven and Rey momentarily debated holding her breath to silence the ragged panting. On its own volition her free hand crept to his waist. A spark ignited at the physical connection and buzzed through her entire body.

 _Kiss me,_ Rey thought greedily. _Just kiss me, already._

Ben leaned in. His lips brushed against hers, then the tip of something hard pressed against her stomach and she gasped. "Lesson failed," he said smugly, pulling the blaster away from her and gesturing with it. "Never let your guard down."

"That's- you're-" Rey sputtered. She searched for words to no avail.

It didn't matter. Ben quickly holstered the gun and slid a hand around the small of her back.

"I'm not falling for this again," Rey whispered against his lips, bringing the staff up and pushing him away with it. "I'm a quick learner."

Ben snatched the staff out of her grasp and threw it aside. Rey sucked in a breath in tantalized surprise and tipped her head up toward his.

"The lesson's over," Ben whispered before pressing his lips against hers.


	27. Episode IX Plot Leak Musing

**A/N: That Episode IX plot leak, though. If you're not interested in a potential plot spoiler, skip this chapter. (I have another one in the hopper for tonight or tomorrow!) This is just based on a brief snipit of that alleged leak... some Reylo FO SHO.**

"You're awake too?"

The voice was smooth and surprised, flowing over Rey like a silk cloak. Just its presence lulled her into a comfortable state that finally suggested she could close her eyes after hours of staring into the darkness. "I don't know why, but I can't sleep," she replied, rolling over and seeing him through the Force. She pulled her knees up and smiled. "You too, I guess."

Ben was watching her, half of his hair smashed down against a pillow. The bags under his eyes suggested a bout of insomnia, but his mood didn't let on. "Want to talk?"

Nestling against her pillow, Rey nodded eagerly. "You've been quiet today."

Ben nodded. It was true. His presence never seemed far away and certainly hadn't detached from her, but they usually chatted on and off whenever they were alone and today had been silence. Rey knew he could see her, at least in his periphery, so she didn't worry too much.

"The Knights of Ren were here."

Rey sucked in a breath. "Are you in danger?"

"No. I'm their master. They wouldn't mutiny against me." He squirmed. "They're restless now that Snoke is dead. I gave them assignments to keep them occupied."

"Good."

Ben narrowed her eyes for a moment as he focused on her. "Is someone with you?"

"No," Rey replied. "It's just me." She yawned. "Where would you want to live if there was no war? Five seconds," she asked suddenly. It was part of their game; they spent the days thinking up questions and providing answers. Over the months it revealed truths and details between the pair that maybe have never come to light otherwise. Plus, it broke up the monotony of running the First Order and the Resistance. "Planet, system. Or just in general."

"I've never thought about it." Ben rolled onto his back and tucked a hand behind his head.

"Three seconds," Rey warned. "Two, one-"

"The house by the lake."

"The one you've dreamed of?" Rey smiled. "I've seen it. With the dome roof?" She sighed and tried to recall the details of the image. "That's a good answer."

"Where would _you_ live? One second."

It didn't even take half a second for her to formulate an answer. "It's a house with a big balcony and green hills in the background. There are flowers everywhere and I eat my breakfast outside every morning."

Ben chuckled. The corners of his eyes wrinkled as he laughed and it made Rey's heart warm. "That's the same place," he said. "It's the back of the house I've seen. So I guess you will be by my side when the war's over."

"Oh," Rey gasped. "I thought it was in _my_ dream like Ahch-To was."

Ben's smile fell away and he sat up in bed. Unrest tensed his muscles and expression. "Are you _sure_ you're alone? Someone else is there."

"Yes," Rey answered, suddenly uneasy. She grabbed her saber and stalked around the Falcon. Her hand brushed over her stomach subconsciously. "There's no one here. Chewie's with the Resistance and the Porgs followed him. It's a desolate planet. I ran a scan and I don't feel anyone."

"You're- you're not alone," Ben muttered. He closed his eyes and reached his hand out toward her. "Check again. Are you safe?"

"Ben," she muttered, "you're starting to scare me. Who – what do you sense?" She peered out the windows and clutched the saber tighter. "I don't feel anything. Anyone."

The connection burned hot as an oven and Ben's breathing hissed in and out through his gritted teeth as he detected the disturbance in the Force. "Rey." His voice broke. "You're not alone. _You're pregnant?"_

"Ben," she replied in relief. Adrenaline dropping off, she put the saber back on its spot on the table and sat back down on the bed. "You scared me. I thought there was someone here. Let me explain before you-"

" _Explain?_ " Ben roared, blowing the Force bond open and storming toward her. His bare feet padded across the Falcon floor. "You – you _betrayed_ me!"

"It's not like that. Ben, listen! I think-"

He reached out and grabbed her by the throat, feeling the strange way her muscles twisted and flexed under his fingers. The grotesque sensation made him recoil and drop her, instead backing up and using the Force to lift her by the neck instead. " _Why_?!"

 _"Stop,"_ Rey gasped, clutching for him as her feet dangled in the air. She could feel the rage radiating from him and see the angry tears pooling in his eyes. "It's not," she choked. "Ben – _Ben!"_ Nervous that he wouldn't release her, Rey focused a surge of energy toward him and eagerly squirmed as Ben's Force weakened. Her feet hit the floor and she ran toward the ramp and off the ship, out into the night.

" _Get back here!"_

Rey ran as fast as she could, feeling like she was a scavenger on Jakku fighting to survive once again. "Ben," she called over her shoulder in a panic, "Stop! I don't want to fight you!"

" _TRAITOR!"_ In just a few long strides he caught the back of her tunic. It ripped but ultimately held and he dragged her back to the ship, roughly throwing her up the ramp before using the Force to push her back inside. "Who! _Who is it? Whose baby is it, Rey?"_ The pain in his chest and tears running down his cheeks stung more than anything he'd felt. Torture from Snoke? A tickle. Killing his father? A soft breeze. Rey laying with another man? Sheer agony.

Now his hands were roughly grabbing at her body and hoisting her to her feet. "Tell me. _Tell me!_ " Fury ignited his face and his expression was more animal than man. His hand found her throat once more as he hoisted her into the air.

As of late she thought she was no longer afraid of Kylo Ren. After all, it was just Ben Solo in a mask, and she was in love with Ben Solo. But now he was treating her like a stranger and that scared her. _Terrified her_. Stars danced in her eyes and she coughed and gasped for breath. "It's- it's-" she wheezed as she weakly beat against him to release her. Her Force was no good. She was already too exhausted to counteract the power he was projecting. Something like a swift sleep was washing over her, and though she fought it valiantly, she succumbed to its pull and fell limp.

" _Let her go!"_

Ben dropped Rey to the ground and stared at the woman in the doorway. The rage on his face immediately changed to mystification. "You can see me?" He looked down at his own hand and flipped it over, examining it. "But I'm not really here."

"You're here enough to leave a bruise on her." A pair of aged hands flipped back a cloak hood. General Leia Organa stared coldly at her son as he gawked at the pale purple blossoming on Rey's neck. "Leave," Leia snarled. "Go back to your soldiers."

Staring back at her in a stupor, Ben shook his head. "This doesn't concern you. You could never understand that's happening here."

"You'd have killed her if I wasn't here. Leave."

"No," Ben said, looking back to Rey again. "She's strong. She's – she's-" The searing pain in his chest only grew as he reflected in her Force energy, and her baby's. Rey, his equal, his best friend, the nobody from Jakku he would die a thousand times over for, his empress and light. She betrayed him. How many times over the years since they met on Crait did they share the same visions of a child? It was supposed to be _their_ child, and now she threw away that future, that perfect future, the promised paradise at the end of all of this. Everything he dreamed of was set ablaze and another man was taking what was his. His lip curled as he took in her soft lips, her long fingers, the freckles on her cheeks.

Finally he turned from her and threw a glare over his shoulder to his mother. "She's yours. Take care of her."

* * *

Leia knelt next to Rey and helped her sit up when she came to.

"Where is he?" Rey croaked.

"He's gone. You're safe." Leia sighed and held Rey's face in her hands. "You're strong. He could have killed a weaker fighter in a second. I'm proud of you."

"He wasn't here to kill me. It was my fault," Rey whispered, gingerly massaging her throat. "I knew I should have told him before he felt it."

"Felt?" Leia repeated. "Rey, Ben's gone. That monster would have choked the life from you. You're not dealing with my son. He's gone to the dark and there's nothing you can do or say to bring him back. But why now? Why during this long peace? Why did he come after you?"

"He thinks I'm having another man's baby."

Leia's eyebrows shot toward her hairline. "Why would he think that? Why would he care?"

Rey took a deep breath and swallowed, testing out her throat. "I _am_ pregnant." Before Leia could react, she continued in a horse whisper, "And I think it was the Force. I can feel it. It's Ben's child."


	28. Spooning

_Beautiful._

Rey watched Ben sleep, still in awe that he was here in the Falcon, radiating body heat and occasionally sighing or mumbling something incoherent. It was as if he hadn't slept properly in years.

He slept shirtless, which appealed to Rey in a strange way. She ran her fingers along his side, down his back, over his arms, tracing the scars she inflicted upon him. The round burn at his shoulder from where the tip of her saber burned him. The gash down his face, running like a river to his shoulder. Other nicks and marks from who knows what battle or duel. Perhaps if Ben awoke, he would see the strange caresses as a sexual invitation, but that wasn't the case. Rey had simply never been this close to another human for this long. Not that she remembered, anyway. Surely at some point she was held as a child. This was hardly comparable.

Besides, they hadn't been intimate yet, save a chaste kiss she accomplished by reaching up on her tip toes and tugging him down by the front of his tunic. Yet her fingertips roamed his skin, hungrily seeking every inch. of him.

 _Bizarre._

She wondered what it was like to have Poe's life, surrounded by friends and constantly drawing people in with a charming charisma. Or to be Finn, growing up with company never far away. Was there anyone in the galaxy her age so fascinated by another living body in such close proximity?

All she knew was solitude, and now, Ben Solo. She trusted him with her life, even if she didn't deserve it. Her lip twitched at the thought of how many times she'd tried to kill him. The forest. The Force bond. Yet now they lived in the others' mind, reading thoughts, experiencing emotion, and feeling intent. She saw his soul, and that _certainly_ wasn't the average human relationship.

Ben rolled over and for a moment Rey panicked. What if he awoke and in anger, struck out? She awoke herself more than once as she lashed out at something in a nightmare. She was trapped between him and the wall.

 _Oh, no._

Instead, Ben opened an eye, briefly assessed her expression, then grinned lazily into the pillow. "Come'ere." He hooked an arm around her waist and dragged her across the bed, nestling her under his chin.

She didn't resist. They settled together, his chest pressed to her back, knees at the same angle; his tucked into the crook behind hers. Rey let the weight of her hand settled atop Ben's as it rested heavily on the curve of her waist. His breath on her neck was slow and even. The warmth gave her the chills.

She giggled softly into her pillow. What would Snoke think now? The mighty Kylo Ren, curled against her as he slept.

 _Kriff,_ she loved him.

The words never passed their lips, but when you could enter someone's mind, what was the point in trite expressions? The same fiery love she felt for him burned in his heart as well and try as they might, even a war couldn't keep them apart.

 _The war._

Rey frowned and wondered what tomorrow would bring. Outside the Falcon, across the galaxy, the Resistance and First Order raged on against the other without them. But for now, Ben stirred again and pulled her closer, mumbling something in his sleep, his lips moving against her neck. Unrest poured from his unconscious mind. Rey focused her calm, feeling it spread from her mind into Ben's, seamlessly like flowing water.

"Sleep. I'm here. I won't leave you. Not again." She turned her head and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

What happened in the past and what would happen tomorrow were no concern to her. Only here. Only this moment with Ben Solo.


	29. Ghosts

Rey held her breath and willed her heart to pound softer. The temple was pitch black save for a few orange spots of candlelight high in lanterns. Despite the silence, she knew she wasn't alone. Her fingers clenched the saber hilt tight. Her thumb rested against the switch, ready to ignite it and cut down an enemy at a moment's notice. Sinister vibes sank into her very soul. Being detected was obviously not a favorable plan, so she continued to creep along the cool stone floor in the dark, taking care to be as silent as a breeze.

The temple wasn't possible. It didn't make sense. Yet here it was, down, down, down in a subterranean cavern. Lights illuminated a long corridor Rey assumed would guide her to whatever drew her here in the first place. It called to her in her sleep, playing out in her dreams like a map over and over again until Ben finally caught her frenzied desire and pushed her to seek out whatever clawed at her so desperately.

A rush of cool air set goosebumps down her neck and over her scalp. Shuddering, Rey took a deep breath and steeled herself. She was no scared little girl. She was trained by Jedi and Dark Side. She inherited vast knowledge and skill that would see her safely through the blackness. The weapon in her hand could illuminate the dark and end lives. Strength in her fingertips could move objects and transfer energy. No, she wasn't Rey from Jakku, fighting for meal portions. She was Rey, who pulled a light saber on three of the most fearsome Force users in the galaxy, and came away completely unscathed. No, this place wouldn't hurt her.

She crept along further, heading deeper underground. The air was damp and cold. She wondered who lived here in such a place. Surely someone did, or there would be no need for the lanterns. The dark place beneath Ahch-To felt much like this, and it wasn't a reassuring realization.

"Rey. You came." Something familiar brushed past her and her confidence returned.

"Ben?" she whispered, relief sweeping over her like a blanket fresh from the laundry. "What're you doing here?"

His hand brushed across the small of her back, then a single finger caressed the back of her neck. "I'm couldn't leave you alone."

It had been months since she heard his voice in person in the litter of Snoke's throne room. Having someone speak directly into your mind was perhaps more intimate, but there was something inauthentic about it that troubled her. Now she savored his voice, perplexed at how different it sounded. The deep, velvety tones from their Force bond were soothing, but now, in the flesh, he sounded harsher somehow. Perhaps that was due to the situation, she mused.

"Do you know this place?" she whispered.

"No. But it knows you."

The answer sent a sickening chill down her back. Rey wished she could reach out for Ben, bury her face against his neck and feel his arms around her. If she was strong earlier, why didn't she feel doubly powerful now? With her most trusted companion at her side, she shouldn't suddenly feel sharp fear jabbing at her stomach. It felt as if the Force itself was dragging her backward, back up into the sunlight, but hadn't it been the Force that pushed her down into this dark place in the first place?

"I – I don't know where I'm supposed to go," she whispered hesitantly, reaching out for Ben. Her fingers brushed against his cloak before he moved away from her, pushing forward. She stood rooted to the spot, afraid to go on.

"You know where to go," he replied, unaffected. "Down. Into the darkness. It calls you. It calls me, too."

"It stopped." Rey reached out to grab him and pull him back to her, but he'd gone. "It's not pulling me there anymore. I think we should leave. Now. Ben?"

"Come, Rey. It's not far." His footsteps echoed further down the corridor, deeper into the blackness.

"What is it?" she called after him, still frozen on her spot. "Can you feel it?" When the only reply was quiet footstep moving away from her, she snarled and hurried after him, feeling her away against the wall in the dark. Each step brought her to a cooler, more troubling place. The hair on the back of her arms and neck stood up. The Force tingled in her limbs like a warning. "Ben!" she called desperately, coming to a stop to listen for how far away his steps had gotten. "Wait for me. Ben!" When he didn't reply, she pushed out angrily through the Force. " _Ben!"_

" _Rey,"_ he answered immediately, his voice deep and velvety in her mind.The sleepy smile on his face immediately faded. " _You're angry."_ He rubbed his eyes to rouse himself, stretched and pushed the sheets aside, then cleared his throat. " _Talk to me. Why are you upset?"_

She stopped dead in her tracks. Her breath caught in her chest and stayed there. Ben was in bed. The footsteps ahead of her scuffed to a stop.

" _Rey? What's wrong?_ " Ben was genuinely curious and tilted his head, trying to extract more information from her through the Force bond. " _I can't really see you. It's too dark. Where are you?"_

Her heart hammered out of time. She sucked in a ragged breath, ignited her saber and braced herself to see what monster had been charading in the dark, luring her into this dark place.

Her terror shot through the Force bond and shook Ben. He jumped to his feet. " _Rey? Rey, what's happening? Where are you?_ " He instinctively drew and ignited his own saber and watched her, suddenly panting. " _Rey._ _Rey!"_

"It's a dark place," she whispered. How could she have been so stupid? Of course that wasn't Ben. Ben would never have ignored her and marched carelessly into the darkness. He certainly wouldn't have dragged her into the unknown when she didn't want to.

"Yes, it is," the voice from ahead of her came. It was apparently unaware of her telepathic conversation. "And it called you this far. Come. Not much farther now."

" _Who is that?_ " Ben asked. He squinted through the darkness through the bond, but it was no good. " _Are you in danger?"_

"Yes," she answered loud enough for the other to hear.

The voice was closer now. "Good. Just a little more. Come, Rey."

Her feet moved slowly, one at a time, just enough to make sound and buy her time to figure out what to do. "What's down there?"

"You'll see."

" _Rey,"_ Ben said urgently. " _Take my hand."_ His panic burned through the bond and settled in her chest.

She fought it as hard as she could. Panic would do her no good here. She needed to be calm. Whatever taunted her couldn't know she was aware of the trap. "I can't," Rey whispered. She raised her saber hilt. All it would take is a flick of the switch and a hard swing and whoever was luring her into the darkness would be dead.

The thing ahead of her scoffed. "Can't? Of course you can. You've come nearly all the way." Then it laughed; a cruel, dark sound even Kylo Ren wasn't capable of. "It was your idea to come here. You reached out in your sleep over and over again. It's been waiting for you."

Panic. Terror. Courage. Calm. One step. Another step. Courage. Calm. Balance. It was evil. She was not. Balance. Balance.

" _Rey, stop. Don't go with that thing."_ Ben's eyes were wide like a caged animal. His teeth were bared and his saber still sizzled in his grip. " _Please, Rey. Stop."_ When she ignored him, he cried out in frustration and dragged his saber along the wall panel of his room.

The sparks startled her somewhat, but the pull was strong. She couldn't deny her curiosity. What _was_ at the end of the darkness? It sang to her every night in her dreams and now she was so close. The siren, even in Ben's form, could easily be cut down and then she could continue on her venture. The dreams were too tempting. There was something in the darkness for her.

Ben was frantic. " _Take my hand. Rey, take my hand. Now!"_

She could see tears shining in his eyes and streaking down his cheeks. Ben once told her Snoke mocked him, saying he had too much of his father's heart. It was true, she saw. Han would have begged her just the same, but neither of them had felt the pull. They didn't understand.

A hissing breath caught her attention. _"_ Rey, take my hand. It's almost time." It was right in front of her.

 _"No!"_ Ben screamed, stretching both hands toward her. " _Rey! Please!"_

She felt his fingertips against her shoulder, and suddenly, an icy brush against her fingertips from the other side.The cold touch sent a jolt through her. It nearly made her gag. Shaking her head to rid herself of the daze, she lunged backward, hoping somehow to catch Ben's hand.

"Enough," the monster snarled in Ben's voice.

Rey ignited her saber and slashed out, but stopped short; horrified of what the blue light illuminated. It was Ben, his lips curled into an angry snarl. But it wasn't Ben. It was a close copy, but with faulty, horrifying features. Its eyes were pure black and teeth were fangs.

Unable to bring the saber down upon it, she cried out and stumbled backward, reaching blinding behind her once more. "Ben!" Her arm connected with something solid and warm and she clung to it. Blood seeped from beneath her fingernails, but she knew her grip was key to her survival. " _Ben!"_ she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. Then there was a mighty amount of pressure and she knew no more.

_  
Rey awoke with a loud gasp. She summoned her saber to her and switched it on.

"Kriff!" Ben lunged out of the way of the sizzling red beam, rolling out of the bed and landing in a crouch on the floor. He watched the facial expressions flick rapidly from suspicion and rage to confusion and then fear. The tip of his own saber never left him. "Rey. It's me." He sat back on his haunches and held out his hand. "It's me. What did you see?"

Rey blinked a few times and looked at the saber in her hand. When she realized it wasn't hers, she flicked it off and dropped it on the night stand. "Ben?"

He rose and gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. "I didn't know if it would work, but you're really here." He held out his arm, revealing a long wet gash. "Proof I'm real."

"Thanks for that." Rey looked around the room and took a deep breath. Her arms curled around her protectively and she frowned at his arm. "It was you that I saw. It had your voice and your face but it wasn't right. It wanted me to go deeper into the temple. And I wanted to." Goosebumps exploded down her arms and she shook her head as if trying to rid herself of the images in her head. "How did it know? How did it know to act like you?"

"I should have come with you," Ben muttered. Rey leaned back into his arms nestled against him. Surprised by her warmth and weight against him, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. "The Sith aren't gone. Just driven away. In hiding."

Rey turned her head slightly, her hair tickling his chin. "I know what I felt. It wasn't a life form I'm familiar with. It wasn't – it wasn't _alive._ "

Ben shuddered. _So it was true._ "There are darker things than me out there," he offered genuinely. "I don't blame you for being afraid. Were you in the Dreightron Triangle?"

Rey turned her head in surprise. "How did you know?"

"If some dark entity is going to take my form and lure you somewhere, it's going to be in the Dreightron Triangle." He shuddered. "Don't go there again."

"Well, obviously not."

Ben frowned. "I mean it. Why did you go there in the first place? Don't tell me you've never heard the stories."

"What stories?"

"That parents tell their kids. Bedtime stories. Ghost stories. Ships disappear there. Strange phenomenon." His lip twitched. How Han loved those stories. He swore he had a run-in with a ghost ship in the triangle, but would always change the subject if pressed for too many details.

"Ben," Rey scoffed. "Who would have told me these stories?"

Guilt seized his chest. "Oh."

"Right. So I found that out the hard way. Dreightron Triangle. Bad. Evil. A dark place." Another bout of chills ran down her arms and she nestled closer to Ben. "Can I – can I be here? Won't you get in trouble?"

Now it was Ben's turn to laugh. "I'm the supreme leader. No one's going to check on me." He took a deep breath. The light scent of her hair mingled with the scent of her sweat. "Stay, if you'd like. I don't mind the company. I felt how terrified you were." He expected her to resist but she simply nodded and kicked off her boots.

"Thanks." She curled up in the middle of the bed and tugged the blanket he was sitting on. "Do you mind?"

"No," he answered quickly, hopping off the bed and letting her get situated. "Let me know if you need anything. I'll be in the-"

"Ben." She was staring at him. "Get in." She held the blanket aloft. "I'd like the company. Besides, I'd be a bad guest if I crashed your evening and then kicked you out of bed." Smiling at the way his mouth dropped open and he mouthed soundlessly at a response, she rolled her eyes. "I'm not afraid of you. I'd just feel better if you were next to me." For final effect, she held her hand out to him and grinned. "Join me. Please."

The humor wasn't lost on him. He simply nodded and followed orders, wondering how he was going to keep the scavenger girl safe. As he got into the bed next to her, he thought a silent prayer to the Force. Pulling her from that dark place to his quarters shouldn't have been possible, yet here she was, wriggling into a comfortably position against him and sighing dreamily.

He sucked in a breath when Rey's hand traced down his arm and brushed past the stinging gash on his forearm from her fingernails. It would surely leave a scar, but he didn't mind, as long as it was Rey marking him.

Anything to keep her safe. Anything for her. Anything at all.


	30. Questions

The laser shots would have felled a lesser man. Not Ben Solo. He slashed this way and that, easily besting the training droid as it peppered him with nonstop shots. It had been nearly a decade since he got a singe on his robes. Nothing seemed to challenge him anymore. Ben lazed through the motions. He wasn't a master, by any means, but there wasn't anything in his immediate vicinity that could help him get better.

Except maybe there was.

He waved a hand at the droid and turned off his saber. Closing his eyes, he focused his thoughts. The freckled shoulders. The dirty fingernails. Dark eyelashes. Posh accent.

And there she was. Rey from Jakku. She was studying a bright pink flower on a lush green shrub. Her face was full of amazement. Greenery surrounded her; dozens of shades of forest and jade with pops of vibrant exotic colors. She admired the flower a moment more before twisting the stem. Once the bloom was free, Rey placed it behind her ear and continued her hunt.

Ben cleared his throat and smiled to see her jump and swear. Chuckling and catching her breath, Rey looked up at him. "Kriff, Ben. How long have you been here?"

"Not long." He smiled and nodded toward the bushes. "You look busy."

"Shush. I just wanted some flowers for my room." She plucked a purple flower and then a blue. The colors were rich and deep. Rey smiled at the combination and pulled two more of each. Ben made a mental note. He'd never noticed flowers in Rey's room, but then again, he'd never really looked anywhere but her.

Rey pulled a piece of string from a pocket and tied it gently around the stems. "That'll do. What're you up to today?"

"I wanted to run something by you."

She looked up, her face set on full blast curiosity. "What is it?"

It was the last chance to turn back. Ben considered it, but plunged forward. "I want to train with you. Sabers. Not the Force. Just hand to hand combat."

Rey blinked. "With me?" She held her bouquet in both hands like a bride as if the notion of fighting baffled her. "Isn't there someone in the Order you can train with?"

Ben shook his head. "No. No one comes close to you." He pulled the old saber, really, a relic by now, from his belt. It felt familiar in his fingers as he held it out to her through the Force bond. It surprised him. "Here." The saber weighed heavy as he thought of parting with it, but he swallowed and kept his arm extended. "I doubt you've had time to fix yours." Pausing at his own choice of words, he realized he meant it. Anakin Skywalker's light saber chose Rey, not him. Admitting it felt like confessing to a lie he'd been telling for years.

Eyes narrow, Rey reached out. Her fingertips brushed against his palm as she accepted the weapon. "Where did this come from? You keep spares?" She flicked it on and then stared at the blue light in shock. "Whose is this?" Still surprised to see any glow but red, Rey twirled the saber. The blade spun faster and faster through the air, then accidentally lopped off a few shrub branches behind her. "Oops."

"It was mine." He could see something catch in Rey's chest. "From when I trained with Luke."

She extinguished the blade and thrust the saber back out to him, eyes desperate. "Take it back."

He shook his head and retreated a step. "I've done far more sinister things with mine, and you used it all the same against Snoke's guard. I won't detail the lives Anakin took with your old one. It's only a weapon."

Pursing her lips, Rey nodded. She held the saber in both hands and took a deep breath. "How do I explain where this came from? Everyone knows mine was destroyed." A smile ticked at her lips. "They don't know how."

Ben chuckled. "That was your fault."

She was incredulous. "Ben!"

He met her dramatic look. "Rey. Train with me. You'd have already said no if you wanted to. Just say yes."

She flipped the saber back on and twirled it once more. "As long as you promise not to give me a scar to match yours." Then she lowered the tip toward him. "But you wouldn't be able to, anyway."

Ben smirked. "We'll see."

* * *

Training was going better than Ben ever expected. All they had to do was touch hands, and then they were pulled into one setting or the other. Today was the humid green of Rey's physical world. Rey, a self taught fighter, had no traditional skill or technique. That made her unpredictable and dangerous. _Perfect._ Where a logical fighter would parry to the left, she'd meet offense with offense in an insane slash from the right. She swung Ben's old saber this way and that, blue and red meeting over and over. One rogue swipe sliced off a tuft of his hair.

"Sorry," Rey giggled nervously as he stared in disbelief at the locks on the ground. He brushed back his hair, visibly annoyed at the short piece that didn't fall perfectly into place. "You asked for this, remember."

"My offer still stands. You need a teacher."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm strong and fast. And clever."

He could hardly deny it, especially with the cocky smile on her face. Kriff, he loved her more every day. "Only because you must have inherited my skill and knowledge through the Bond."

"You think so too?" Her eyes got large. Her hands waved in excitement. "Sometimes I've done things that I didn't know I could do. I just knew what to do, and that I could do it, even without ever trying. Big things. Important things. It was just there in my head. Luke said my powers only awakened because of you." She tucked her saber back on her belt and touched her lips, deep in thought. "I can't believe we've never talked about this. Have you heard of anyone else sharing this much through the Force? Did Luke and Leia?"

"No. They couldn't," Ben replied, suddenly as curious as her. "I don't believe it was Snoke. I would have known." He belted his own saber and leaned against a boulder and tried to steer the conversation back to a playful place. "So what did I get from you?"

Rey shrugged. "A great sparring partner, I guess."

Ben was struck for what surely was the hundredth time with a question that he'd wanted to ask her. The question lived on the tip of his tongue, fighting to escape his lips for the better part of a year since he last saw Rey in the flesh. Before he could think better of it, it fell rapidly from his lips. "What did you see in your vision of me when we first touched hands?" He wasn't sure what made him ask, but there it was. He was as relieved as he was horrified.

A coy smile came to Rey's lips. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." She shimmied her shoulders back and forth playfully. "You can't get something for nothing, Solo."

"I told you," Ben answered quickly. "I saw your parents. They were junk traders from-"

Rey tsked. "No, no. You told me that already. I want to know what you saw about me. You said I'd be the one to turn when the time came. I didn't."

"Neither did I," Ben barked defensively.

"So when do I turn?" Rey blinked in a way she probably didn't know was seductive.

Ben looked to the grass. Ah, yes, Solo men were putty in a sassy woman's hands. She met Han Solo. She knew what it took to break him down. "I don't know _when_." He looked up and immediately regretted it. Her face. That angelic, mischievous face. _That's_ why he asked her. Ben simply couldn't resist her.

Rey smiled wickedly. "You don't know? Of course not. Because I don't turn, and you do. Just tell me what you saw!" She reached out and playfully gave him a push.

He caught her wrists and held them, pulling her closer to him. "I asked first!" The argument was childish but Ben remained committed to it. "It's only fair." He released her but Rey rested her hands on his chest.

"Okay. I have an idea. We'll say on three what we saw that made us so sure." She took a deep breath and stepped away. He immediately missed her hands on him, but the excitement in her eyes cheered him. "Just say the one thing," she commanded. "Like, blurt it out. Got it?"

Ben nodded. His stomach churned. Was it butterflies or was he actually nauseous?

"One," Rey counted.

"Two," Ben joined in. "Three."

"Our daughter," Ben breathed.

"Grey robes," Rey exclaimed.

" _What?"_ he roared, wishing he could take the words back as soon as he heard Rey's answer.

 _"_ No, _you_ what?! _"_ Rey blinked at him. "Daughter? All this time you've know that we have a daughter and you didn't tell me anything about it?" She reached out and shoved him again, then her hand instinctively fluttered to her stomach.

Ben's cheeks and ears burned red in humiliation. Over the past twelve months he was certain Rey saw the same vision of their daughter. He nearly brought it up several times, but he was glad he'd held off. Such a huge disparity in their visions concerned him. The Bond faltered as he considered leaving, but Rey noticed, locked eyes with him, and blew it back open.

"Why do you think grey robes would mean I turned?" he snapped. "That's what you've been going off of? That's what made you leave Skywalker's island and come to me?"

"Because they weren't black," Rey muttered, waving her hand impatiently like she was shooing a fly. "We have a daughter? What's she like? How old was she?" She clutched the front of his tunic and pulled him closer. Her eyes sparkled in the light for a moment and Ben realized they were tears.

He shook his head and gently brushed her hands away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Ben, please," Rey begged, reaching out and grabbing his elbow.

He sighed and paused. There was that face. Those eyes. He couldn't deny her. He'd never be able to deny her. "She looks like you."

"What's her name?"

"I don't know." Ben's voice was harsher than he meant it to be. He frowned. Rey never saw their daughter. His disappointment was swelling in his chest.

"You can't be mad. _You_ asked. I told you what I saw. You were wearing grey robes instead of black. Well, a grey cloak. And tall black boots over gray pants." She bit her lip. "I- I thought it meant something. It felt like it." She frowned, but immediately smiled. "What was she doing in your vision? How did you know she was ours?"

Ben felt the back of his neck grow hot. "She looks like you and was training with my saber. I just knew." He pursed his lips. Sharing the precious details of the future he longed for scared him. Speaking the words aloud gave them strange power, but this time he was worried they'd be carried away in the breeze.

"From touching my hand?"

He nodded. "Your past and your future. There was no question."

Rey smiled and leaned back before laughing aloud. Ben stared at her quizzically, but she leaned forward, smirking and wearing a look that reminded him of Han Solo. "Wow. So I was right. You do turn, Solo."


	31. Dark Rey

**A/N: I didn't think I'd like writing this, BUT OH DID I EVER. The fan art out there is super cool, too.**

Rey perched on the throne – _her_ throne – with one leg casually draped over the armrest. The long, elegant charcoal robe she wore pooled on the floor at the base of the large chair, but it did so in an elegant fashion as to match the room. The shimmering fabric looked like black water. She boredly levitated a small trinket between her hands.

General Hux, lips pursed and barely concealing a snarl, as usual, was stationed by her side. He stood at attention and a thousand yard stare. Occasionally his eyes would scan the room and then steal a glance at the Empress, but never for long enough to be caught by her or any other guard. The Praetorian guards were quickly and handily removed from Empress Rey's service in one hard Force blow. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason as to who she chose to replace them, but Armitage Hux didn't dare deny her invitation to serve her directly.

"Rey!" a voice boomed through the hall.

Hux raised his blaster, then relaxed. Kylo Ren was marching the length of the room, his own cape billowing out behind him. Heavy footfalls echoed off the bare walls and high ceilings. The empress was expecting him, but he was late. She glared down the dais, indifference giving way to open annoyance.

"Enough," Kylo barked.

"Enough what?" Rey asked, leaning forward in the throne. Her light saber quivered slightly on the opposite armrest, but didn't fly to her hand as it had done dozens of times in the past week. An amused smile came to her lips, but the familiar crinkle was absent from the corners of her eyes.

Ren stopped before her but didn't kneel. "You sent the fleet to the Outer Rim? For what?" He was careful to keep his voice to a sharp scolding quality and not a shout.

Rey shrugged, seeming completely unaffected. "On a mission."

"What mission?"

"I don't have to discuss that with you." Her eyes narrowed and she dared him to defy her.

He did. "Who do you think gave you your power? Who put you on that throne? Who sacrificed everything for you?" he scoffed. "Without me you'd be dead with the rest of them."

Rey motioned lazily and her guards drew their weapons.

"You know I could kill them all with a look." Ren glanced from face to face. Hux shifted uncomfortably, knowing Ren was telling the truth. Kylo found Rey's face again and cocked his head, bemused. "Can't we talk in private?"

"No."

He stiffened. "Rey. Please."

She rose. "That's Empress to you, Commander. And you don't get to ask anything of me. We all made our choices."

Hux glanced at her out of the side of his eye, then watched Kylo Ren. The man handled his demotion from Supreme Leader surprisingly well. Better than he handled his own demotion from Grand Marshal. The empress didn't dock his pay or rescind any privileges, so he didn't dare raise an eyebrow to her.

"Fine. Empress, then. Please. Just talk to me. There's no reason to have forces in the Outer Rim. What are you doing out there?" He had an inkling, and it reeked of sinister intention. Kylo could believe that it's something the Order would have done when Snoke was in charge, even when he was in charge. But Rey was supposed to be different. She was supposed to raise them from where they were to somewhere better. Instead she drove them downward with glee.

Rey laughed darkly. "Oh, Ben. You know I'm the Empress and you're nothing." The word tickled her somehow. "A prince, maybe, in another life. Or a smuggler? General of a band of ragtag soldiers?" She shrugged. "Who knows. Your parents threw you away like garbage. Gave you to an uncle who tried to kill you. You have no part in my Order. You're nothing."

The words once belonged to him, Ben knew. The irony wasn't lost on him. His eyes watered. It was no good to rebut her. But the speech wasn't over. He replayed it every night as he tried to sleep. She needed to finish it, and things would be okay again. His lip quivered as he watched her slowly descend the steps to stand before him.

When she finally reached him, she took his chin between her thumb and index finger. "Ben," she said softly, "you're nothing." Her voice was a cruel whisper. "You're nothing to me." With that she turned and smiled at Hux. "Armitage, won't you see Kylo out?"

"I think it's time for you to go, Ren." There was no joy in Hux's voice or face as he stepped forward. Neither was there any fear at the immense, unfathomable Force pain Kylo could easily inflict. He roughly grabbed Kylo's elbow and spun him around, his goal more to save the former leader from the current leader's unpredictable temper. He never thought he'd think that, but if there was any hope for the Order now, it was Kylo Ren. "Let's go," he urged the taller man, pulling him toward the back.

Kylo paused and looked over his shoulder. The Dark had hold on him once, but conflict won out and he plead allegiance to neither side. But the Empress? Where there was once conflict, there was now none. Rey was gone.


	32. Sick

Rey nestled into her blankets deeper, thankful for temporary peace. Her chest ached as if she'd taken a kick square to the front. She was sick. Coughing fits shook her body and burned her lungs and throat all through the night. She was exhausted and looked it. Poe came by to pick her up on the way to training at dawn but after one look at her and the dark circles under her eyes, he went looking for a medical droid.

Since then Rey couldn't help but feel like she was more or less a prisoner in her room, quarantined by the CMO's orders.

Another bout of coughing distracted her from the way the air shifted. Ben Solo appeared in her periphery from across the galaxy, but she could hardly catch her breath to greet him.

"You too?" he asked as she acknowledged him over her hacking. His face pulled taut at the sight of her, then realxed and sat gingerly at the foot of her bed. "We must be in the same system. Everyone in the Order is sick as well. Meetings for the entire day are canceled due to too many absences."

Rey cleared her throat but to no avail. She waved for him to keep talking.

Ben cringed. "Can I bring you anything?" The silliness of the offer hit him and he grinned. "Well, if I could, I guess. I don't know how well soup would fare traveling across the universe. And hyperspace would just be messy."

Battling down a plug of phlegm, Rey managed a few words. "Why does everyone suggest soup? I have veggies for a wrap." She sniffled, then started coughing again.

"Your parents never made you sou-" The question trailed off before he could finish. "Sorry," he quickly added. After a moment, he nodded. "Right. Jakku. Desert. Probably not a lot of demand for hot stuff." He grimaced dramatically and threw his forearm against his forehead. "I have much to learn about all of these nowhere planets. I need more nobodies to help me out. Guides. Interpreters. Quirky local scavengers."

She arched an eyebrow and chuckled. "Is that your plan? I doubt anyone else would be foolish enough to tangle with you. I just had bad luck."

Ben mocked a glare. "You wound me. I've got another Force call with a girl from Atollon in a little bit, actually."

Rey smiled. Even here, feeling subhuman, she found joy in Ben Solo. The Supreme Leader of the First Order was playing the jester to make her smile. "Oh, the mighty Kylo Ren," she sighed happily. "You better not let it get out that you have a delightful bedside manner."

"Oh, my sick, delusional Rey," Ben echoed. He pulled off his cloak and tossed it onto a chair at the foot of the bed. He looked about the room as he removed his gloves, then grinned broadly when he noticed a film playing on a hologram on her bedside table. "This is one of my favorites," he exclaimed. "Have you seen it?"

Rey shook her head and giggled, surprised to see him so elated at something. "No. Leia suggested it. You could stay," she offered. "I'm quarantined."

"You're not _that_ sick. Quarantined?" Ben snorted. "You have my attention. You don't need to exaggerate-"

"It's that bad," Rey interrupted solemnly. "We can't risk it. Low rations. Compromised immune systems. Too many are sick already. A man died yesterday. And the children we've taken in?"

Suddenly Ben's playful expression grew grim. "That bad?" He pressed gently into her mind, fully expecting to be shut out. Yet Rey stepped back and let him in. She was ailing, to be sure, but putting on that scrappy unafflicted desert rat mask she wore whenever an injury or sadness befell her. Exhaustion and real sickness clung to her. She hadn't ate or slept in more than a day. The surprising truth bothered Ben enough that he backed out of her mind and chewed at the inside of his lip. He certainly hadn't worn a facade with her, even when she nearly cut him in two in the forest. Why was she with him?

"Hey," he said gently. "If you need anything, I can-"

"No," she snapped defensively. "I'm fine. We're fine."

The pair looked at the floor until at last Rey patted the bed next to her. "You may as well watch this with me. I clearly don't have anywhere to go and you just said your schedule was free. I'll restart it. I've been hacking too hard to pay attention, anyway." After a moment, she hesitated and held her hands up, keeping him from getting too close. "Wait. Do you think I can get you sick like this?"

"No," Ben replied automatically, stretching out on the bed next to her like he had a dozen times before. Truthfully he didn't care if it was possible or not. Leaving Rey alone was the last thing he wanted. Since Crait, they'd made up and somehow managed to build a wildly caring relationship even as they warred. None of it made sense, but neither of them cared. As long as they had a way of being together, things would be okay.

The movie restarted but he paid no attention. Rey settled easily into his arms. He briefly wondered whether a medical droid would be checking on her. Ugly coughs from deep in her chest shook her entire body, masking the dialogue and music. She apologized through the wheezing.

"No," Ben shushed her. "I've seen this a hundred times. I'm just glad to be here." He held her loosely as she convulsed once more in another fit.

"It's almost like you're here," she said when she finally caught her breath back. Her hand slithered onto his and gently caressed it.

Ben looked down at her, felt the tickle of her hair against his chin. "It does." He didn't dare think about his actual physical setting. His lonely room on his ship could surely do without him. When Rey finally dozed and Ben closed his eyes, he feared he'd open them to find the polished black walls of his quarters. When he squinted them open, he saw drool at the corner of Rey's mouth and smiled.

A team of banthas couldn't drag him away from her. Not now. Not ever.


	33. Twin Solos

The dark haired boy with the big ears and Roman nose had a talent for mischief. He hid around corners, terrorized the rebels with his pranks, and begged every pilot to take him along on their runs. Most troubling, though, was his preoccupation with the old light sabers. His father made a mental note to quit leaving his laying around. Ben watched his son in wonder. It was almost like looking into his own memory, watching himself from the outside.

But there were glaring differences between them. Pax didn't have a shadow of darkness in him. He was all gray; a cool and collected boy whose feathers were never ruffled. The older twin, Anya, had left no drama for him. She was a painful reminded of Ben's own youth. She fought everyone as if she needed to in order to survive.

The twins, though, had every support available to them. Anya had attached herself to General Hux in the same way Pax followed Poe around. They each gave the rebels celebrity status, regardless that they themselves were the royal children and gawked at by strangers no matter where they went. What mattered was that they had an entire village to raise the twins and Ben couldn't be more pleased for them.

He wished he had grown up in the same kind on environment.

The darkness wasn't was blinding as it had been, but Ben still felt its crushing grasp from time to time. Rey, the twins, the rebels – sometimes he had panic-inducing thoughts and dreams of losing them all. Wouldn't he deserve it, after all the shit he pulled? The fact that he never had to pay for his war crimes clawed at him. Darkness was certainly still part of him, as much as Rey tried to deny it.

Luke Skywalker was right. He was strong, and the darkness had hold of him, for better or worse.

"Dad."

Pax loped across the corridor, a sheepish smile at his lips. His mop of dark hair shifted slightly and reminded Ben of Han. His heart ached. Han would have loved the kids. He would have loved to see the fiery end of the war. He would have loved to be a part of it. There were so many things he would have loved, but missed. Things happened how they needed to happen, but that didn't make his loss any easier.

Pax twirled a toy staff. "Uncle Poe said you needed to see me. Is this about tonight?"

Happy to be torn from his thoughts, Ben nodded. "Mmhmm. Your mother wants you to wear the crown."

Pax sighed half-heartedly. "I don't like the crown. It makes my neck hurt."

"Me, too." Ben ruffled his hair. "But it's important to your mother that you wear it so everyone knows you're part of our family."

"I know," Pax agreed. "Because she was a desert rat with no family." His eyes brightened. "Hey. Wait. What if _none_ of us wore a crown? Then we'd all still match."

The focus groups from nearly every planet system returned results that the people wanted their royals to be relatable yet regal. The advisers swore that meant the children attending state functions in their very best dress.

Ben chuckled. "Tell you what. Wear the crown and we'll talk about building your own light saber."

Pax nearly cried out in surprise. His jaw hung open. "Really?"

"You're old enough. That energy needs to be channeled into something. I don't need anyone blasting holes in the ship."

"Uncle Poe says you used to-"

"Yeah, yeah," Ben cut him off. "Tell Uncle Poe to put a sock in it."

* * *

Ben sensed Anya's big angry energy behind Hux's office door before he even opened it. He lingered outside for a moment, listening to the blow up before he slid into the side door and listened from an interior passage. It wasn't spying if it was your own child, right?

Anya and Hux were thick as thieves. Even as an infant, Anya made clear that she preferred Hux to any of the other Rebel family. She never cried in his arms. It did wonders for the general's reputation among the distrustful rebels. (And Ben. He swore up and down that Hux would never come within a hundred feet of his children, but Rey and Armitage had weekly tea parties and she trusted him from the moment he defected.) If an insanely Force sensitive infant trusted him with her life, shouldn't everyone else? Since then Anya had become Hux's mini general, often sitting in on high level meetings and raptly learning the ins and outs of galactic politics.

Now Anya was folded into a chair in front of the general's desk. "Mom has this awful thing I'm supposed to wear tonight. I don't want to! They barely let us out but when they do, they push us out on stage like we're for sale or something." Anya seethed for a moment. "You know what princesses do?"

"I have met several in my life. They do many things," Hux replied, his voice indicating that he was already over the theatrics.

The girl gritted her teeth. "They sell princesses off to other systems and planets to form alliances. I've read about it. My parents are going to give me away. That's why they keep parading me around! _Look at Anya Solo! She could be yours for the right price! Place your bids!"_

Hux cleared his throat and tried to fight a smile off. "If wearing a designer gown and a tiara to a fancy dinner is the worst part of your life, I can hardly muster a single iota of sympathy."

Anya gritted her teeth. "General Hux! You're not listening. They're going to sell me to someone _your_ age."

"One," Hux snapped. "I am _not_ that old. Two, you don't believe any of this, Princess. Your parents would slice anyone who tried to _buy you_ in two. I've seen it done when you were infants." He sat back. "How old do you think I am?"

"Am I interrupting?" Ben stepped into the room and felt her anger fall away into surprise.

Hux offered a lazy salute Ben returned it, then turned his attention to Anya. "You seem tense," he said lightly.

The girl resumed her pouting position. "I don't want to go tonight."

"Too bad," Ben replied. "Neither do I."

Anya tried to keep her scowl firm, though the corners of her lips tugged upward against her will.

Hux cleared his throat. "I was going to mention before your father joined us that while perusing the roster, I noticed young Jasper will be attending this evening's festivities."

The princess straightened and pretended not to be too interested. "Is he going to the dinner too?"

"Dinner's the main event," Ben scoffed. "It's the only reason anyone goes to these things."

"Dinner is not the _main event_ ," Hux scoffed in return. "The valuable political discourse-"

Anya scooted to the edge of her chair. "You're certain Jasper is going?" Hux raised an eyebrow and Anya slumped back again. "I mean, just so I know how many of my friends I'll have to save from the _boring_ politics talk."

Ben smirked. Anya loved politics. Clearly Jasper had made a big impression if she was willing to besmirch her passion.

Hux chuckled and offered Ben a hearty smile. "If either of us would have known your daughter with a Jakku nobody would have eyes for a traitor stormtrooper's son-" he broke off and shook his head.

"Finn isn't a traitor," Anya snapped. She resumed her pouting. "He's a war hero! And I don't have eyes for anyone. I'll wear the dress but only because Jasper always wears nice clothes and if everyone else is, I, I – I wouldn't want to be underdressed. I do _not_ have eyes for him."

"As you say, Princess," Hux replied.

"Yeah. Sure." Ben leaned against Hux's desk, ignoring the way the general cringed as his ass rested against the wood. "So I made a bargain with your brother. You can get in on it, too. All it will cost is wearing what your mother picked out and at least _trying_ to be pleasant tonight."

"Bargain?" Anya repeated.

The general immediately understood. It was an idea they'd batted around before when conversations turned to keeping the twins engaged but not destructive as their Force abilities grew. "Ren," Hux growled in a way that reminded Ben of their youths under Supreme Leader Snoke. "You _didn't._ "

"They're not kids, Hux. Remember when we first me? You only had to contend with me," Ben said flatly. "Now imagine if I had a twin."

Hux pursed his lips. True, Ben _and_ an equally powerful sibling would have made his life even more of a living hell, if that was possible. Hux often worried what the cusp of adulthood would do to Anya. She was certainly her father's daughter. Silly drama and lamenting over wearing crowns to a state dinner suddenly seemed very pleasant. Hux raised an eyebrow at Anya. Dramatic? Yes. Wicked? Certainly not. "Very well," he sighed.

"What bargain?" Anya demanded. She reached out with the Force and tried to pick up a hint of what Ben was dangling in front of her. He left her a few crumbs, but not enough to understand.

"Like I said," Ben explained. "Behave in a way that won't upset your mother and reap the benefit. What have you and Pax bothered me to do for years?"

"No. No way." Anya jumped out of her seat. "Are you serious?" A beam lit up her face. "Dad. Seriously?"

"If you wear what Rey tells you to and if you quit telling people we're going to sell you to someone Hux's age," Ben replied. "Besides, we couldn't sell you if we tried. You're a package deal with your brother. No one could afford you both."

Anya finally dropped her pout and threw herself at Ben, wrapping her arms around him excitedly. "I'll do it. I'm going to get the dress now! Mom wanted to do my hair soon anyway. Thank you! Thank you! I'll be the best princess anyone's ever seen. You'll see."

Ben watched as his daughter bounded out of the room. "Thought so."

Hux groaned. "I vowed I'd never write off another light saber tantrum again. I.T. is going to kill me."

* * *

Rey fussed over the twins until they were both red in the face and gritting their teeth. "I know you don't like these," she said as she straightened their crowns, "but it's for the good of the galaxy, okay? If something as silly as going to a dinner with people will keep the peace, then we should do it, shouldn't we?"

The family all donned various shades of silver and maroon. Rey wore a long maroon gown with black accents. Anya's own dress, though shorter and gray, was nearly a replication. Ben and Pax wore gray tunics and tall boots.

"You're both very noble," Rey said, almost in surprise. "Sometimes I can't believe you're the same little monsters who terrorize the entire base."

Pax beamed. "We'll be good! Dad said if we-"

Just then, Ben entered the room and quickly jumped in. "Didn't behave, they'd have me to answer to." He gave a stern look that clearly said _your mother is not to know about the light sabers._ The twins nodded in unison.

"Answer to you?" Rey scoffed. "You're such a pushover. They've never been afraid of you." She paused and looked back to the twins, suspicion growing in her features. "Wait. What did he promise you?"

"Nothing," Anya quickly replied. Pax opened his mouth but she silenced him with the Force. "We just had a chat with Dad and Uncle Hux about being grateful. He told more stories about when you all were our age and how hard life was. You know. War and stuff. It reminded us that we need to be appreciative for what we have." She nodded smartly. "That's all."

Rey snorted. "Well I don't believe that for a second. You know I can find out," she warned the twins as they squirmed under her gaze. "Even if you won't tell me, your father can't hide anything from me." Rey's eyes flicked to Ben. "What's the bargain? You made another one, I know you did."

He met her gaze and smiled. "We'll be late. We should go."

"This is why Uncle Poe says Mom wears the pants," Pax whispered.

Ben pulled a face but Rey giggled. "I'll figure out what you three are up to later," she sighed. "Let's go."

Ben winked at the twins. "Let's get it over with."


	34. Waiting

It was hot. It was always hot in this camp. It would have reminded her of life on Jakku, but the air was always saturated and humid enough to make her constantly sweaty. Rey tossed and turned most nights and it was beginning to show in the bags under her eyes and the regular stumble in her step. How the other rebels slept, she had no idea. She kicked the thin sheet off. That wouldn't help. Feeling the warm stifling air on her skin was almost worse. Somewhere a pair of rebels were making love and having a hard time stifling their amorous sounds. Rey groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. She couldn't think of anything worse than another sweaty body in her bed.

That was it. Another body, another bed. Rey closed her eyes and pictured him. Those deep, powerful eyes. The long fingers. Heavy black boots. Hell, even the stupid mask. _Bring him to me._

Suddenly Supreme Leader Ben Solo was there in her mind, moving around the small kitchen in his chambers. Aware of the connection, he looked up briefly. "You look miserable."

"I am." Rey glanced around the kitchen. It was fairly messy. Some sort of fruit pits were piled in a messy clump on the counter. Ben's hands were covered in dough and he was furiously pummeling a pale lump of what she assumed would be a pastry crust. He had a white towel tied around his waist that he occasionally wiped his hands on.

She fought the urge to smile, lest he abandon his project. "Plans I'm interrupting? You look quite involved."

"Long day. Starving."

"I didn't take you for a baker."

His eyes flicked up to hers briefly. "You can't trust a droid to make a decent pie." Ben flipped the hair back from his face, careful not to get dough in his hair. "You'll have to try a slice when you come to my side. I'm an excellent cook." He smirked and continued to work the dough.

Knowing Leia didn't have time to bake during any point in her life, Rey imagined a young Ben experimenting in the kitchen. Her chest warming, Rey settled back against her pillow, pleased to watch him work. "Tell me a story."

"What kind of story?"

Rey thought for a moment. "What's the craziest thing you've ever done?" She held her breath and hoped beyond hope for a story about smuggling with Han. Though he'd never alluded to it whatsoever, Rey was positive it must have happened. After all, Ben was a Solo through and through.

"Let me think." Pleased with the dough's consistency, Ben reached for a rolling pin. Ben flattened the dough viciously, using the pin like a weapon instead of a tool. Flour flew everywhere. As the dough evened out, his movements were more meticulous. Finally the dough was a nearly perfect disc. "I jumped from a shuttle into a battle."

"What? How high up was the shuttle?" Rey stared at him, eyes wide. "And why?"

"High enough." Satisfied with the crust, Ben gingerly rolled it back onto the rolling pin and then unrolled it into a pie plate. Where he'd procured it, Rey couldn't imagine. Did First Order kitchens really carry pastry dishes? Once the crust was happily nestled into the plate, he nodded. "It was the only way to kill the monster was from inside."

"Monster?"

"Sure," Ben answered distractedly. He dipped a finger into a bowl of rich crimson on the counter and tasted it. "It was trying to eat me, so I played into its plan and dove right down its throat. Turns out that wasn't the best idea. I won that planet single handedly." The Solo smirk.

Rey pretended her heart wasn't pitter pattering. The jarring difference between the man cooking as seductively as possible and the man from the story was making her feel some sort of way. "That's reckless," she breathed.

"You asked." Ben poured the rest of the fruit filling into the crust and placed it directly in the center of the oven. When the door squeaked shut, he leaned against the counter and wiped his hands on a towel. "Now we wait."

Rey watched in wonder. The majority of the food she'd eaten came from packets or was mass produced by the rebel camp cooks. What happened in the oven? How long would it take? Watching the process was fascinating. "Can you teach me?"

Ben raised an eyebrow. "So _now_ you want a teacher." A sly smile came to his lips. "The offer stands. Join me and I'll cook for you every day." He aimed a smolder in her direction. "Not just pies. Whole meals."

Her mouth watered. Camp food was fine, but real food? Rey pushed the thought away and snorted. "I might not get the chance if you keep throwing yourself into maws that want to swallow you. Do us both a favor and quit that."

"You should be encouraging that behavior. We're at war, you and I." His eyes narrowed. A challenge. "Have you forgotten?"

Rey cleared her throat. "You're your own worst enemy, Ben Solo." His mouth twitched, but she didn't recant. As they spent hours together through the bond, Rey was discovering exactly where to ply and where to prod to bring out Ben Solo and repel Kylo Ren. She flipped her pillow over to the slightly less warm side. "What other stupid things have you done?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Ben chuckled. "I was almost crushed to death by a different monster. Hux actually saved me."

"General Hux?"

"I was just as surprised. He's clever. I'll give him that. He needed me to get back to the Supremacy. Long story." Ben began to clean the kitchen.

Rey wiped the sweat at her forehead. She'd hoped he would be in bed and would mercifully reach out those long fingers to touch hers. He kept his chambers mercifully cool. She could almost feel it. "How long until your food is done?"

"It'll be a while."

"I thought you were starving."

"I am."

Rey wrinkled her nose. "Why did you make something that takes so long to cook?"

Ben opened his mouth, then paused. He shook his head in amusement, then looked across the bond to her. His gaze was warm on her face. "The best things are worth waiting for."


End file.
